BEIJING, China — China’s Defense Ministry on Sunday warned the Philippines to halt actions that “could escalate the situation” in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), a day after Manila accused Beijing of severely damaging a vessel and injuring its crew with water cannons during a resupply mission to a military outpost.
On Saturday, the Philippine military said China Coast Guard vessels and Chinese government-linked maritime militia vessels had “once again harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers” against vessels taking part in the mission to the flashpoint Second Thomas Shoal, which is also claimed by China.
Philippine authorities said Chinese actions had “led to significant damage” and “caused injury to personnel” aboard the Unaizah May 4 (UM4), a civilian boat hired to resupply the military base atop a grounded World War II-era warship in the shoal.
The severity of the injuries sustained was not clear, but the crew were later given medical treatment aboard one of the country’s coast guard vessels, according to the Philippine side.
In a statement Sunday, the Chinese Defense Ministry alleged that the Philippine mission showed that it had “gone back on its word, betrayed its promise and attempted to consolidate the illegal ‘grounding’ of a warship on Ren’ai Reef into a permanent facility.”
Ren’ai Reef is the Chinese name for Second Thomas Shoal.
“China will never sit idly by and ignore this,” Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said in a statement. “We are warning the Philippines to stop making any remarks that may lead to the intensification of conflicts and escalate the situation, and stop all infringements and provocations.
“If the Philippines repeatedly challenges China’s bottom line, China will continue to take resolute and decisive measures to firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” the statement added.
Video released by the Philippine military showed two China Coast Guard ships simultaneously firing high-powered water cannons at the UM4 on Saturday, after a separate video clip released earlier in the day showed one of the Chinese vessels performing a “reverse blocking maneuver” against the resupply vessel, narrowly avoiding a collision.
Manila has characterized the nearly hourlong standoff — the latest in a string of tense encounters between the two sides in the South China Sea — as “irresponsible and provocative.”
The waters surrounding Second Thomas Shoal, in particular, have seen a number of incidents, with China Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels repeatedly seeking to prevent resupply missions from reaching Philippine troops stationed on the rusting BRP Sierra Madre warship, which was intentionally grounded on the shoal in 1999 to reinforce Manila’s territorial claims to the area.
Manila has pledged to conduct monthly resupply missions to troops stationed on the base, missions that China suspects include the transport of materials intended to fortify the rusting warship, which Philippine defense officials have conceded is rapidly deteriorating after years of enduring the South China Sea climate.
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