China and Philippines trade blame as ships collide

China and the Philippines have accused each other of ramming coast guard vessels in a disputed area of the South China Sea.

The Philippines has claimed a Chinese ship "directly and intentionally rammed" into its vessel, while Beijing has accused the Philippines of "deliberately" crashing into a Chinese ship.

Saturday's collision near the Sabina Shoal is the latest in a long-running - and escalating - row between the two countries over various islands and zones in the South China Sea.

Within the past two weeks, there have been at least three other incidents in the same area involving ships belonging to the two countries.

The Sabina Shoal, claimed by China as Xianbin Jiao and as Escoda Shoal by the Philippines, is located some 75 nautical miles from the Philippines' west coast and 630 nautical miles from China.

The South China Sea is a major shipping route through which $3 trillion worth of trade passes through a year. Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Following the latest clash, China's coast guard called on the Philippines to withdraw from the Sabina Shoal while pledging to "resolutely thwart all acts of provocation, nuisance and infringement".

The Philippines coast guard said it would not move its vessel - the Teresa Magbanua - "despite the harassment, the bullying activities and escalatory action of the Chinese coast guard".

There were no casualties following the crash but Philippines Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela said that the 97-meter (318-feet) Teresa Magbanua had sustained some damage after being hit "several times" by the Chinese ship.

The US ambassador to the Phillipines, MaryKay L Carlson, criticised what she called China's dangerous actions in the region.

"The US condemns the multiple dangerous violations of international law by the [People's Republic of China], including today's intentional ramming of the BRP Teresa Magbanua while it was conducting lawful operations within the[Philippines] EEZ." she wrote in a post to X.

"We stand with the Philippines in upholding international law."

China has repeatedly blamed the Philippines and its ally the US for the escalating tensions. Last week, a defence ministry spokesperson said Washington was "emboldening" Manila to make "reckless provocations".

Observers worry the dispute could eventually spark a larger confrontation in the South China Sea.

A previous attempt by the Philippines to get an independent arbitral tribunal to rule on the matter ended with the decision that China had no lawful claims within its so-called nine dash line, the boundary it uses to claim a large swathe of the South China Sea. Beijing refused to participate in the proceedings, and has also refused to recognise the ruling.

But in recent weeks both countries have made an attempt to de-escalate the immediate conflicts out at sea.

Last month they agreed to allow the Philippines to restock the outpost in the Second Thomas Shoal with food, supplies and personnel. Since then this has taken place with no reported clashes.

Correction 13 September 2024: This article originally reported that the Philippines attempted to get the UN to arbitrate – it has been updated to reflect that an independent tribunal, in which China refused to participate, ruled on the South China Sea dispute.