China Coast Guard boarded PH ships during Ayungin mission – report

A China Coast Guard ship maneuvers past a Philippine fishing boat while distributing fuel and food to fishers by the civilian-led mission Atin Ito (This Is Ours) Coalition in the disputed South China Sea on May 16, 2024. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — The China Coast Guard boarded Philippine vessels during a resupply mission at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, Beijing’s state-run media said on Tuesday.

“The China Coast Guard took control measures in accordance with the law, including issuing warnings, boarding Philippine vessels and conducting inspections,” China Daily, citing CCG spokesperson Gan Yu, said in its report.

China also used water cannons against Philippine vessels, according to United States’ state department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

READ: CCG blames PH for latest ship collision in West Philippine Sea

US Ambassador MayKay Carlson on Monday condemned China over the incident, which she noted caused “bodily injury” against naval personnel.

There were reports of injuries of a naval personnel, but it has yet to be confirmed by Philippine authorities.

CCG’s boarding of Filipino ships and use of water cannons have also yet to be confirmed by local authorities.

For its part, the CCG said its vessel took “control measures” against a Filipino resupply boat for entering the waters within Ayungin Shoal at 5:59 a.m. on Monday, causing a collision.

READ: AFP: China’s account on Ayungin incident ‘deceptive, misleading’

But National Security Adviser Eduardo Año also on Monday said CCG’s actions “put at risk the lives of our personnel and damaged our boats.”

The regular resupply mission in the BRP Sierra Madre grounded in Ayungin has become one of the flashpoints of tension in the West Philippine Sea.

Beijing asserts sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, even if such a claim has been effectively invalidated by a July 2016 international tribunal ruling from a case filed by Manila in 2013.