AFP: Chinese warship’s ‘intentional’ move causes near-collision at sea

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy narrowly avoided a collision with a Chinese warship near Pag-asa Island on Wednesday in what a military official described as an intentional and provocative maneuver, highlighting growing risks in the West Philippine Sea.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Command (Wescom) said the landing ship tank BRP Benguet (LS-507) was conducting a routine maritime operation when it encountered a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) missile frigate, hull number 532, which closed in at a “dangerously close distance.”

AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad described the maneuver as “coercive and aggressive,” calling it “unprofessional and unsafe” and adding that such actions have “no room in a civilized world.”

Video reviewed by Philippine Navy officials showed the vessels came within five to eight meters of each other, which Trinidad said was “intentional, not accidental.” 

No injuries or damage were reported.

“The BRP Benguet successfully avoided a potential collision by communicating bridge-to-bridge, stating its course, and adjusting direction away from the approaching vessel,” he said.

READ: Atin Ito prepares for 4th civilian mission to Pag-asa Island“Afterward, the PLA Navy warship veered to starboard,” he added. “These are actions they would like to normalize, but we anticipated them and continue performing our mandate within the bounds of the law.”

Trinidad framed the incident as part of China’s ICAD—illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive — activities, intended to challenge Philippine presence and normalize risky encounters at sea. 

“If you do not follow them, this will happen again and again. If you follow them, they will normalize their presence,” said the spokesperson.

Geopolitical analyst Don McLain Gill likewise described the encounter as a near-collision and part of a broader pattern of deliberate Chinese provocations in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

“This was definitely intentional, it was provocative, and it illustrated continuity in China’s harassment of Philippine legal operations,” Gill told the Inquirer. 

He noted Beijing appears to be “pushing the envelope” to provoke reactions that could justify further escalation.

The encounter occurred near Pag-asa Island, a Philippine-occupied feature in the Spratly Islands about 528 kilometers west of Palawan. 

The area has long been a flashpoint between Manila and Beijing, which claims nearly the entire South China Sea and continues to reject a 2016 international arbitral ruling that invalidated its sweeping claims and upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights.

READ: Carpio: ‘Forgotten’ 1875 map backs PH vs China sea claimThe Wescom urged the Chinese navy to comply with international maritime rules and norms to prevent similar incidents, emphasizing that Philippine forces would continue to carry out “lawful maritime operations” in the area.

There was no immediate response from Chinese authorities as of posting.

The incident underscores the growing tension and risk of aggressive encounters in the West Philippine Sea, but the AFP reaffirmed it will continue lawful operations to uphold the country’s sovereignty. /das/cb