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A Sugar The coast guard ship reportedly deployed a powerful water cannon and rammed a Philippine government ship later Sunday, causing minor damage to the ship anchored near a Filipino-inhabited island in the disputed area. South China Sea,
BRP Datu Pagbuya, a ship of philippines‘The fishing fleet suffered minor damage, although none of its Filipino crew members were reported injured.
The incident on Thitu Island – known by the Philippines as Pag-asa – represents the latest escalation in long-running territorial disputes manila, Beijingand four other governments in the region.
Whereas China While it has yet to issue any direct response to the incident, it consistently reiterates its claim of sovereignty and control over almost the entire South China Sea, a vital global trade route.
This stance persists despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated its historical claims, a decision which China rejects but which it supports. United States of America And this western and Asian Associate.
According to Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore J. Tariela, the Pagbuya and two other Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels were anchored in the territorial waters of Thitu. Sugar The coast guard and suspected militia vessels began “dangerous and provocative maneuvers”.
Commodore Tarriella firmly stated that such aggression would be of no use. manila “To cede a square inch of your territory to any foreign power.”
A Chinese coast guard ship with bow number 21559 “fired its water cannon directly at BRP Datu Pagbuya, striking the ship,” then three minutes later struck the stern of a Philippine fishing vessel, causing “minor structural damage but no injuries to the crew.”
Video released by the Philippine Coast Guard shows a Chinese coast guard ship launching water cannons, striking the ship and its two Philippine flags. A Filipino manned ship is seen sailing away from a Chinese coast guard vessel.
“Despite these bullying tactics and aggressive actions, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources remain steadfast,” Tariela said. “We will not be intimidated or chased away.”
“The harassment we faced today strengthens our resolve,” said Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan.
“Filipino fishermen depend on these waters and neither water splashes nor panaceas will stop us from fulfilling our commitment to the President. ferdinand marcos We will not hand over even a square inch of our territory to any foreign power.”
Thitu is the largest of the nine islands, islets and reefs that are home to the Philippine military and also has a fishing community. Spratlys The archipelago, the most hotly contested area of the South China Sea, is where China turned seven barren reefs into island bases protected by missile systems.
Three artificial islands have runways, including Subi, located just over 20 kilometers (12 mi) from Thitu, which is also claimed by China.
The latest regional confrontation in the South China Sea adds to domestic emergencies being dealt with by the Marcos administration, including a recent earthquake that killed more than 80 people in the central and southern Philippines and a succession of typhoons that devastated the same areas.