China, Philippines blame each other over South China Sea clash

The Philippines and China have accused each other of initiating a tense, physical confrontation in the South China Sea near the Second Thomas Shoal. The incident has escalated tensions in the disputed waters.

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[It] prompted two AFP rubber boats to calmly and non-confrontationally drive it away. The Chinese Coast Guard Vessel (CCGV) personnel reacted violently and aggressively by striking a Philippine Navy personnel on the head with a wooden baton, causing injury.

Footage released by the Philippines Coast Guard shows personnel from both nations briefly engaging from inflatable boats. The Philippines accused the China Coast Guard of assaulting one of its navy staff, stating that a Chinese vessel "unlawfully approached" a Philippine outpost, circled it, and took photos. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported that Chinese Coast Guard Vessel (CCGV) personnel reacted violently, striking a Filipino navy personnel on the head with a wooden baton, causing injury.

However, China's Coast Guard (CCG) presented a starkly different account, accusing the Philippines of "deliberately distorting facts" and making "false accusations." The CCG stated that during a "routine patrol," two Philippine rubber boats "rapidly approached, encircled, and rammed into the Chinese patrol boat in a dangerous manner." They claim Philippine personnel initiated "malicious attacks" using oars and long sticks, while Chinese forces responded with "verbal warnings, collision-avoiding manoeuvers, and proportional countermeasures" with "maximum rationality and restraint."

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The Philippine personnel initiated malicious attacks against the Chinese law enforcement personnel by using oars, long sticks, and other tools.

Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela of the Philippines Coast Guard shared a photo on social media showing a Filipino navy personnel with a bleeding head wound. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it had summoned the Philippine ambassador to China to lodge a formal protest over the encounter. This incident is the latest in a series of dangerous encounters between the two countries' coast guards in the South China Sea, a region where China's expansive "nine-dash line" claim has been previously invalidated by an international tribunal.

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The Chinese side, in accordance with laws and regulations, took measures including verbal warnings, collision-avoiding manoeuvrers, and proportional countermeasures to control the situation on the spot, while exercising maximum rationality and restraint.