China says protecting 'rights' after Philippine ship collision

Beijing defends actions in South China Sea after Philippines accuses Chinese coast guard of ramming its ship.

Beijing insisted on Monday (September 2, 2024) it was defending its "rights" in the South China Sea, after the Philippines released footage appearing to show a Chinese coast guard vessel ramming one of its ships during an at-sea confrontation.

Both countries accused each other on Saturday (August 31, 2024) of deliberately ramming their coast guard ships near a flashpoint shoal in the South China Sea, the latest in a spate of similar incidents in recent weeks.

The incident took place off the disputed Sabina Shoal, located 140 km west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 km from Hainan island, the nearest major Chinese landmass.

Footage released by the Philippine coast guard of the incident appeared to show the Chinese vessel coming up from behind the ship and ramming it.

Another clip also showed what appeared to be a deliberate collision.

Asked about the footage on Monday (September 2, 2024), Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning reiterated Beijing's claim the Philippines had "deliberately rammed" the Chinese vessel.

"The root cause of the current situation, or the current escalation of the situation, is that the Philippines sent coast guard ships to linger in the lagoon of the Xianbin Reef for a long time and attempt to permanently occupy it," Ms. Mao said, using the Chinese name for the shoal.