/MANILA, April 30 (Reuters)–ThePhilippineson Tuesday accused China’s coast guard of harassment and of damaging two of its boats in a disputed area of the South China Sea, rejecting Beijing’s position that it had expelledthosevessels from the hotly contested shoal.
ThePhilippines’ task force on South China Sea issues said a coast guard ship and a fisheries vesselwere damaged bywater cannons used by Chinese coast guard ships, as the vessels headed toScarborough shoalto assist Filipino fishermen in the area.
The fisheries vessel was rammed thriceboth by the Chinese coast guard and maritime vessels,the task force said.
No country has sovereignty over the strategically located Scarborough Shoal, a prime fishing patch close to major shipping lanes that is used by several countries. The shoal falls inside thePhilippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“These latest demonstrations of China’s illegal and irresponsible behavior highlight their egregious disregard for thePhilippines’ lawful exercise of its rights and entitlements in our own EEZ,” the task force saidin a statement.
China claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by thePhilippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
An international tribunal in 2016 said China’s expansive claim had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected.
ThePhilippinessaid China’s actions raised the question of how sincere it was in efforts to reduce tensions in the waterway.
The Philippine coast guard said the Philippinevessels stood their ground at theshoal.
“This damage serves as evidence of the forceful water pressure used by the China coast guard in their harassment of the Philippine vessels,” Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said in a statement.
China hasoccupied the atollfor more than a decade.Waters around its lagoon,which has long beena sanctuary for vessels during storms, have been the site of multiple confrontations in recent years.
China’s coast guard said the vessels had been expelled but did not provide details of the incident.
“China urges the Philippine side to immediately stop its provocative acts of infringement and do not challenge China’s firm determination to safeguard its sovereignty,” Lin Jian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said at a news briefing.
ThePhilippines’Tarriela said its vessel, the BRP Bagacay, suffered damage to its railing and canopy, andthatChina had installed a floating barrier at the shoal’s entranceto restrict access.
The Philippine task force said the fisheries vessel sustained damage to its navigation, electrical, ventilation and radio systems.
China and thePhilippineshave traded accusations of illegal conduct at the Scarborough Shoal and Manila recently summoned a Chinese diplomat to explain aggressive maneuvers. China typically accuses thePhilippinesof encroaching on its territory.
The two countriespreviouslysaid they would seek better communicationoverskirmishes in the South China Sea, but tensions have increased recently, as thePhilippinesforges stronger diplomatic andmilitary tieswith the United States.
(Reporting by Beijing newsroom and Mikhail Flores and Neil Jerome Morales in Manila; Writing by Bernard Orr and Mikhail Flores; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Michael Perry, Martin Petty and Bernadette Baum)
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