A Philippine coast guard official accused China of firing water cannons and hitting Philippine supply ships in the South China Sea, with one of the ships suffering “serious engine damage.”
Jay Tarriela, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, announced on social media platform X that the Chinese Coast Guard “fired water cannons” on two Philippine supply vessels Unaizah Mae 1 and M/L Kalayaan in the South China Sea on Sunday morning.
“M/L Kalayaan suffered serious engine damage. Contrary to Chinese Coast Guard misinformation, UM1 was hit by a CCG vessel,” Tarriela said on social media platform X.
It is the second incident between Philippine and Chinese ships since October near Second Thomas Shoal, an uninhabited shoal within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Manila and Beijing have a long history of maritime disputes in the South China Sea, through which billions of dollars in goods pass each year.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, including waters and islands near its neighbors’ coasts, and has ignored a 2016 international court ruling that the claim has no legal basis.
