Bangkok, June 19 (EFE).- The Philippine military on Wednesday accused the Chinese coast guard of looting their weapons and puncturing their inflatable boats during a recent incident in the disputed South China Sea.
“Our boats were deliberately punctured by the Chinese coast guard,” said Alfonso Torres, chief of the Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, at a press conference.
Torres alleged that Chinese troops “illegally” boarded their boats and used knives and other sharp objects during the encounter on Monday.
Since then, both sides have released conflicting accounts of the maritime confrontation.
China said that a Chinese and a Filipino supply ship collided near the disputed Ayungin Atoll, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, after the Philippine boat “ignored” warnings and approached the Chinese coast guard vessel in an “unprofessional manner.”
The Philippine military rejected the claims, accusing the Chinese coast guard of being “reckless and aggressive” during the encounter.
At the same press conference, Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner described the Chinese coast guard’s actions as “piracy,” adding that Chinese forces had also seized other equipment from the Filipino forces.
The Philippine military reported that one of its sailors was “severely injured” and several others sustained minor injuries.
“They have no right to hijack our operations,” Brawner said.
The Philippines routinely sends resupply missions to the contested Ayungin Atoll, where it maintains a grounded ship, the Sierra Madre, with a military detachment.
In 1999, the Philippines intentionally grounded the World War II-era warship on the Atoll to reinforce its sovereignty claims over the area, which it says is situated within its exclusive economic zone.
Beijing and Manila have long been in dispute over the sovereignty of several islands, including the Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands, in the resource-rich South China Sea.
Beijing, which claims nearly the entire South China Sea, also faces territorial disputes with Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Brunei in the contested waters.
The South China Sea serves as a critical gateway for global maritime traffic, facilitating nearly 30 percent of global trade.
Tensions between the two countries have escalated in recent years, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. strengthening his country’s defense alliance with the United States, reversing the previous approach of closer ties with China. EFE
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