Chinese and Philippine naval ships collided in the South China Sea, increasing tension between the two countries

Beijing/Manila, June 17 (HS). The China-Philippine confrontation to establish their claims in the disputed South China Sea took a violent turn on Monday when their naval ships clashed for the first time. This was the first such incident after Beijing issued new rules to take action against foreign ships and detain foreigners “suspected of violating rules” in Chinese waters.

China claims most of the South China Sea (SCS), although the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan also claim parts of the region, which is deeply disputed. China's coast guard said a Philippine vessel and a Chinese ship collided after the Philippine vessel “illegally entered” the waters near the Second Thomas Shoal and “dangerously” approached the Chinese vessel.

The navies and coast guards of the two countries have been engaged in confrontations in recent months as the Philippines has made vigorous efforts to assert its claim over the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, which is claimed by China.

China alleges that the Philippines deliberately ran a naval ship aground at Second Thomas Shoal, which it calls Ren'ai Jiao, in 1999 and converted the damaged vessel into a permanent establishment manned by naval personnel.

According to the coast guard, the Chinese ship rammed the Philippine ship on Monday morning to prevent it from delivering construction materials. The coast guard statement said its ship had taken regulatory measures in response to an illegal intrusion by a Philippine ship into the waters near Ren'ai Jiao on Monday morning.

It said a Philippine supply ship, ignoring repeated stern warnings from the Chinese side, deliberately and dangerously approached Chinese vessels sailing normally in the adjacent waters of Ren'ai Jiao.

The statement said the incident violated international regulations for the prevention of collisions at sea. The incident resulted in a minor collision, for which the Philippine side bears sole responsibility.

The statement, however, did not mention any damage or injury to any party.