The Philippine Coast Guard has accused China of interfering with the movement of Chinese Coast Guard vessels in the South China Sea by approaching the vessels within a range of 1 meter. On October 4th, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel came within 1 meter of a Philippine patrol vessel in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, where the Philippines and China are contesting sovereignty. The Philippine Coast Guard has accused China of “engaging in dangerous activities and interfering with our maritime operations, violating international law.” Meanwhile, the Chinese Coast Guard stated in a statement that “the Philippines has illegally occupied Chinese territories.”
The Philippines has reported that the Chinese coast guard vessel cut in front of and nearly collided with the Philippine patrol vessel near Reed Bank in the South China Sea.
According to Lieutenant Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, on October 6th, Chinese forces made attempts to obstruct the escorting activities of the Philippine Coast Guard and Navy vessels providing logistical support to a group of soldiers stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre vessel in the South China Sea on October 4th.
The Philippines has maintained a group of personnel illegally stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre ship at Reed Bank, part of the Spratly Islands of Vietnam, and regularly provides logistical support to this force.
The Philippine National Security Council stated that a large number of Chinese coast guard and maritime militia vessels have attempted to block the Philippine vessels. China has demanded that the Philippine vessels “avoid miscalculation, depart, and stay away” from the area.
The Philippine Coast Guard did not leave and stated that they would carry out their supply mission. Video footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard shows a maneuverable Chinese vessel approaching the Philippine patrol vessel BRP Sindangan at a distance of 4 meters, while another Chinese coast guard and maritime militia vessels surround a Philippine Coast Guard vessel, according to Lieutenant Tarriela.
Tarriela claimed that the BRP Sindangan had to quickly reverse its engine to avoid a collision with the Chinese coast guard vessel crossing in front of it. Tarriela stated that this was the “most dangerous action” by the Chinese coast guard vessel against the Philippine patrol vessel.
Tarriela accused the Chinese coast guard vessel of “violating international law, particularly collision avoidance regulations.” This is the second confrontation between the forces of the two countries near Reed Bank since the beginning of August.
The Chinese coast guard later accused the Philippines of “illegally transferring construction materials” onto the BRP Sierra Madre vessel and claimed to have monitored them throughout the process.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro stated that the country is prepared to respond to potential emergencies, including clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.
Reed Bank is part of the Spratly Islands, which are territories of Vietnam. In 1999, the Philippine Navy ran the deteriorating BRP Sierra Madre vessel aground on Reed Bank, turning it into a makeshift outpost to maintain an illegal presence in the area. The Philippine military deployed a contingent of marines stationed on this ship and relied entirely on supplies from the mainland.
In November 2021, three Chinese coast guard vessels also blocked, shined lights, and sprayed water cannons to hinder and force Philippine supply vessels to cancel their missions and return.
In August, the Philippines also reported that a Chinese coast guard vessel blocked and sprayed water cannons at two Philippine Navy-charters vessels carrying food, water, fuel, and supplies for its personnel on the BRP Sierra Madre. No sailors were injured in the incident.
