Bangkok/Beijing,July 23, (dpa/GNA) – Another incident has occurred in the dispute over territorial claims in the South China Sea, Philippine and Chinese officials reported on Thursday.
Philippine sources say the Chinese coastguard attacked a Philippine vessel with water cannon for around two minutes on Thursday morning. The incident reportedly took place near the disputed Scarborough Reef, some 220 kilometres west of the Philippine main island of Luzon.
According to the Philippine coastguard, the water was fired at a supply vessel belonging to the island nation’s fisheries authority. However, the vessel was not directly hit and was able to continue its mission to support local fishermen. No one was injured.
China’s coastguard said it had repeatedly warned two Philippine vessels. and in response, had pursued and forced them away using the “necessary measures.”
Incidents appear to be on the rise again at the disputed reefs. At the beginning of the week, sailors from both sides clashed at another reef in the region, which has long been the subject of a dispute between Beijing and Manila.
The incident occurred shortly before a meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila.
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, protested about the incident during a meeting with his Philippine counterpart on the sidelines of the conference.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its own. However, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan also lay claim to parts of this resource-rich area.
GNA