The Chinese coast guard ships and accompanying vessels blocked the Philippine coast guard and supply vessels off the disputed Second Thomas Shoal and executed dangerous maneuvers that caused two minor collisions between the Chinese ships and two of the Philippine vessels, Philippine officials said. Over an hour later, another Chinese coast guard ship first blocked then collided with a supply boat the Philippine coast guard was escorting, the officials said. The supply boat, manned by Filipino navy personnel, was later hit by water cannon blasts from two Chinese coast guard ships. The shoal has been the site of several tense skirmishes between Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships last year. The Chinese coast guard said a Philippine ship deliberately rammed a Chinese coast guard vessel, causing a minor scratch.

Source: ABC News March 06, 2024 15:26 UTC