Chinese Ships Collision While Chasing Philippine Boat; Here’s What Really Happened

The tensions soared as Chinese ships collision occurred while going after a PH boat.

CHINESE SHIPS COLLISION – A navy vessel and a coast guard ship collided while chasing a Philippine patrol boat near the contested Scarborough Shoal.

A China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel chasing a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship had collided with a Chinese Navy warship in the contested Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal on Monday morning. This happened near Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea.

Based on the video released by the Philippine Coast Guard, the Chinese ship attempted to use a water cannon on the BRP Suluan, but “the seamanship skills of PCG crew members allowed the vessel to successfully evade being hit.”

PCG’s spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Jay Tarriela said that the collision was between the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warship No. 164 and the CCG 3104. The collision caused “substantial damage to the CCG vessel’s forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy.”

This is the latest in the series of confrontations between China and the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea. A couple of years ago, tension rose in the West Philippine Sea after Beijing claimed almost entirely despite the international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis. There is a 2016 arbitral ruling that made the area a traditional fishing ground for the Philippines, China, and Vietnam.

Filipinos offered help after the collision; however, the Chinese crew “never responded.” PCG personnel reportedly made a radio call to offer assistance, but there was no response.

Meanwhile, according to the Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times, CCG spokesperson Gan Yu said their white ships ‘took all necessary measures’ to drive away Filipino vessels from Panatag Shoal. The encounter was mentioned, but did not say anything about the collision.

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