Chinese ship fires water cannon at Philippine vessels in S China Sea

A Chinese coastguard ship has fired water cannon at Philippine vessels bringing food, water and other supplies to Filipino soldiers stationed at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, officials said on Sunday.

The Philippine coastguard and military condemned the attack, and called on the Chinese coastguard to restrain its forces and "cease all illegal activities within the maritime zones of the Philippines."

The incident occurred on Saturday near Second Thomas Shoal, locally called Ayungin Shoal, which lies 105 nautical miles (195 kilometres) west of the Philippines' province of Palawan and is within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

A small contingent of Philippine troops are stationed on BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine navy ship anchored in the shoal since it ran aground in 1999, marking the country's claim to the area.

The Chinese coastguard ship blocked the Philippine vessels and fired water cannon at them.

"These boats were delivering food, water, fuel and other supplies to our military troops stationed on BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal," coastguard Commodore Jay Tarriella said in a statement.

"Such actions by the [Chinese coastguard] not only disregarded the safety of the [Philippine coastguard] crew and the supply boats but also violated international law," he added. "We ask the China coastguard ... to cease all illegal activities within the maritime zones of the Philippines."

Due to the Chinese coastguard's "dangerous manoeuvres," one of the supply boats was not able to complete the mission, the Philippine military said in a separate statement.

"We call on the China coastguard and the central military commission to act with prudence and be responsible in their actions to prevent miscalculations and accidents that will endanger people's lives," it added.

The U.S. State Department said such actions by China were "inconsistent with international law" and posed a threat to the status quo in the South China Sea.

They jeopardized the safety of Philippine ships and crews, impeded the exercise of freedom of navigation on the high seas and directly jeopardized peace and stability in the region.

Chinese ships regularly shadow and try to block Philippine vessels from reaching Ayungin Shoal, but it was only the second time that the Chinese coastguard used water cannon against a Philippine resupply mission since November 2021.

China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, has taken increasingly aggressive actions in the area in recent years. It has ignored a 2016 ruling by an international arbitration court that it has no legal or historical basis for its expansive claims.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to the area, which is believed to be rich in natural resources.