Philippines accuses China of provocative actions in disputed South China Sea

MANILA: In a recent development, the Philippines has accused Chinese vessels of engaging in what they describe as “dangerous manoeuvres” within the disputed South China Sea region. This incident is the latest in a series of maritime tensions between the two neighbouring nations, CNN reported.

The Philippine Coast Guard on Friday reported that while conducting a routine rotation and resupply mission near Ayungin Shoal, also known as Ren’ai Reef in China, they encountered eight Chinese boats. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, these Chinese vessels posed a threat to the safety of their crew members, although spe-cific details of the incident were not disclosed. The encounter involved four Chinese coast guard vessels and four Chinese “maritime militia” boats. This incident follows closely on the heels of a prior dispute in which the Philip-pines accused Chinese coast guard ships of using water cannons against their vessels during an attempt to resup-ply troops stationed at the same shoal in the Spratly Islands, referred to as the Nansha Islands in China.

Western experts specialising in maritime security believe that Beijing maintains a maritime militia consisting of hundreds of vessels, which serves as an unofficial and officially deniable force to advance its territorial claims in the South China Sea and other areas. The Philippines asserts that this militia played a role in both recent incidents at Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal), a location with historical territorial disputes, as reported by CNN.(ANI)

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