A Chinese warship collided with one of its own coast guard vessels earlier this week while pursuing Philippine boats in the highly contested South China Sea, highlighting increasing tensions in this strategically critical maritime region.
Dramatic footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard captured the moment of impact, showing one of the Chinese vessels severely damaged at its bow.
According to Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard, the incident took place on Monday as aid was being distributed to Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal, about 140 miles west of Luzon Island in the Philippines.
Tarriela explained that a China Coast Guard vessel was in high-speed pursuit of the Philippine Coast Guard patrol boat BRP Suluan when the collision occurred.
“Philippine vessels and fishermen encountered hazardous maneuvers and blocking actions from other vessels in the vicinity,” he said, adding that one Philippine boat narrowly escaped being hit by a water cannon.
He further detailed that the Chinese vessel “performed a risky maneuver” which caused “substantial damage” to the forecastle of the China Coast Guard ship, leaving it “unseaworthy.”
Videos shared by the Philippine Coast Guard showed the People’s Liberation Army Navy destroyer with hull number 164, a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, crashing into the China Coast Guard vessel 3104 while both chased the smaller BRP Suluan patrol boat.
At the time of the collision, at least three China Coast Guard crew members were visible on the bow of CCG 3104.
The Philippine Coast Guard offered immediate assistance, including help with man-overboard recovery and medical support for any injured Chinese personnel, Tarriela noted.
While China acknowledged a confrontation with Philippine vessels, it has not confirmed the collision between its two ships.
China Coast Guard spokesperson, Gan Yu, stated that “the Philippines sent multiple coast guard and government vessels, under the pretext of delivering supplies to fishing boats, to forcibly intrude into waters” near Huangyan Dao, the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal.
Gan added that the China Coast Guard “took all necessary measures, including tracking, monitoring, blocking, and controlling, to drive the Philippine vessels away.”
He described the operation as being conducted in a “professional, standard, and lawful manner,” but made no reference to the collision.
The South China Sea remains a hotspot for territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines, and other regional players.
This crucial maritime passageway handles roughly one-third of global shipping traffic, valued at trillions of dollars annually, and supports important fishing grounds vital to many local communities.
Encounters between Chinese and Philippine vessels have surged in recent years, raising concerns that a major accident could escalate into broader conflict.
The Philippines maintains a security alliance with the US, while China is the primary geopolitical rival in the region.
Both nations claim Scarborough Shoal along with various islands and reefs across the South China Sea.
China took control of the shoal in 2012 and has since restricted Filipino fishermen from accessing the area. In 2016, an international arbitration court ruled most Chinese claims invalid, but Beijing has rejected the decision.
Monday’s clash adds to a series of recent tense and perilous incidents, as both Beijing and Manila ramp up their efforts to assert sovereignty over disputed maritime features.
In April, both countries raised their national flags on Sandy Cay, a set of three uninhabited sandbars near a Philippine military outpost in the Spratly Islands.
In June 2024, the Philippines accused the China Coast Guard of a “brutal assault” with bladed weapons near the Second Thomas Shoal, another disputed area in the Spratlys.
Philippine military footage showed Chinese officers wielding an axe and other weapons, attacking Filipino soldiers and slashing their rubber boat.
During the clash, a Philippine Navy serviceman lost his right thumb when a Chinese Coast Guard ship rammed a smaller Philippine boat.
Such aggressive encounters underline the rising volatility in the expansive 1.3-million-square-mile South China Sea, where China has invested heavily in developing military installations and airstrips on artificial islands.
