Philippines says China blasted water cannon at supply vessel in South China Sea

The Philippines on Friday accused China of blasting one of its supply vessels with a water cannon in the latest confrontation between the two nations in the disputed South China Sea.

Philippines’ authorities said Beijing’s actions have not only "put the lives of our people at risk", but have "put into question and significant doubt the sincerity of its calls for peaceful dialogue".

China said it responded appropriately under maritime law after the Philippines’s vessel trespassed into what it said were Chinese waters.

The latest confrontation took place in a remote Philippine marine outpost on Second Thomas Shoal, a hotly disputed atoll known as Ayungin Shoal to Manila and claimed by Beijing as Ren’ai Reef.

A Philippine government task force that deals with the South China Sea said on Friday that Chinese coast guard vessels and its paramilitary Maritime Militia "recklessly harassed, blocked and executed dangerous maneuvers in another attempt to illegally impede or obstruct a routine resupply and rotation mission”.

It said the Chinese coast guard vessel fired a water cannon to blast the Philippine supply vessel M/L Kalayaan, which was en route to deliver supplies to the outpost, in an illegal though unsuccessful attempt to force [it] to alter course”.

The vessel was taking part in a routine resupply mission to troops stations on the BRP Sierra Madre, a former US Navy ship the Philippines grounded in 1999, in the Second Thomas Shoal.

The supply mission was carried out successfully despite the blockade, Filipino authorities said.

"We firmly insist that Chinese vessels responsible for these illegal activities leave the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal immediately," it said, adding that the Philippine Embassy in Beijing delivered a protest to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

China’s coast guard said two small Philippine transport ships and three coast guard ships "arbitrarily trespassed into the waters near China’s Ren’ai Reef and urged the Philippines to stop infringing on Beijing’s sovereignty”.

China’s coast guard "followed the Philippines ships in accordance with the law, taking necessary control measures, and made temporary special arrangements for the Philippines side to transport food and other daily necessities", coast guard spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement.

It is the latest in a string of maritime confrontations between Manila and Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

The incident comes a month after the Philippines accused a Chinese coast guard ship and another vessel of ramming a Philippine coast guard ship and a military-run supply boat near the contested shoal. Beijing blamed Manila for trespassing in what it said were Chinese waters.

No injuries were reported but the incident left a Philippine coast guard ship and a wooden-hulled supply boat operated by navy personnel damaged.

It prompted the US to renew its warning to China to defend the Philippines on the occasion of an armed attack and expressed alarm over the Chinese action.

China is involved in conflict in the South China Sea, that it claims whole, with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. Engagement in the parts of the sea are considered as a flashpoint and a delicate fault line in the US-China rivalry.

On Thursday, Philippines said it was acquiring five multi-role response vessels to boost the capabilities of its coast guard in South China Sea.