(File Photo)The Philippines said Monday that Chinese vessels "intentionally" hit Philippine boats in the South China Sea, escalating a diplomatic row over two collisions at the weekend in the disputed waters. Manila also called China an "aggressor" and accusing it of "increasing tensions" in the South China Sea. China's coast guard said on Sunday there had been a "slight collision" between one of its ships and the Philippine boat while the coast guard was "lawfully" blocking the boat from transporting "illegal construction materials". It was not the first time that China's coastguard, backed by its maritime militia boats, have interfered with the Philippines' resupply mission. One of the images shared by the Philippine coast guard showed three of the four boats carrying out the resupply operation on Sunday surrounded by seven bigger Chinese coast guard vessels.

Source: The Standard October 23, 2023 13:29 UTC