South China Sea: Beijing and Manila trade blame on second day of Scarborough Shoal clashes

Clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels near the fiercely contested Scarborough Shoal continued for the second day on Friday, marking the third such encounter between the rival South China Sea claimants this week. The latest stand-off came as China launched military drills in other parts of the contested waterway, which are expected to run until the end of July. The Chinese coastguard said its actions near Scarborough were “standardised and lawful”. “On July 24, the China Coast Guard [CCG] took control measures in accordance with the law towards multiple Philippine vessels engaged in illegal activities in waters under China’s jurisdiction off Huangyan Island,” the service said in a statement on Friday, using Beijing’s name for Scarborough Shoal, which is known as Panatag Shoal in the Philippines. Hours later, Philippine Coast Guard [PCG] spokesman Jay Tarriela released a statement with video, accusing the Chinese side of subjecting their vessels to “a series of water cannon attacks and dangerous manoeuvres”. He added that as of 9.30am on Friday, 10 Philippine vessels and 15 Chinese ships remained in a stand-off in the area. “The PCG strongly condemns the dangerous and unprofessional actions of the China Coast Guard,” he said. In a further statement issued on Friday afternoon, the CCG confirmed that Chinese vessels had used water cannons, verbal warnings and blocking manoeuvres against Philippine ships during their latest operation around Scarborough Shoal. Fresh tensions erupted near the shoal on Thursday, when China’s coastguard said it drove away two Philippine government vessels after they “ignored repeated Chinese warnings and deliberately entered waters under China’s jurisdiction”. It described its actions as “necessary countermeasures” against the intruding vessels. The Chinese coastguard also released video with its second statement on Friday, describing its operation as “professional, standardised, legitimate and lawful”. Manila has condemned the Chinese actions – including a two-minute water cannon barrage that narrowly missed a direct strike – as “illegal, coercive and aggressive”. The back-to-back skirmishes came close on the heels of a collision on Monday at the Second Thomas Shoal, another contested South China Sea feature, when the Chinese coastguard clashed with two Philippine Navy rubber boats. Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef part of the disputed Spratly Islands, is known as Ayungin Shoal in Manila and Renai Jiao in Beijing. Each side has accused the other of provocation. Citing the clashes at both shoals, CCG spokesman Jiang Lue on Friday accused the Philippines of having “created trouble at multiple points in the South China Sea, made provocations on purpose and seriously infringed upon China’s sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”. “We solemnly warn the Philippine side to immediately stop its infringing and provocative actions. Otherwise, it will bear all the consequences.” Meanwhile, two notices from China’s Maritime Safety Administration indicate that military exercises began on Friday across three South China Sea zones south and southeast of Hainan province. Drills in two of the areas will run for eight days, while the third will last four days – although none are near Scarborough Shoal or Second Thomas Shoal. The two features have been the main flashpoints in South China Sea territorial disputes between Beijing and Manila over the past three years. The latest incidents came as China’s top diplomat Wang Yi met his Philippine counterpart Theresa Lazaro in Manila, on the sidelines of the Asean foreign ministers’ meetings During their talks on Wednesday, Wang warned Lazaro that Manila would “bear the bitter consequences” if it sought to provoke Beijing with the backing of other countries. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also in Manila for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering. He told reporters on Thursday that a US coastguard vessel passing near the South China Sea had helped to transport a Filipino soldier injured in Monday’s Second Thomas Shoal incident. “In fact, there was a US Coast Guard vessel in the region at the time that this happened and actually helped stand between the two sides and allowed the individual who was injured to be rescued and brought back for medical treatment,” Rubio said. “So we’re already here, we’re already present, we have a role, and we’re not going to abandon our allies. We’ve made that abundantly clear.” Rubio also said Thursday’s use of water cannons by the Chinese coastguard was “disturbing”. During Rubio’s visit, the US announced a US$60 million boost in military grant assistance to the Philippines, a treaty ally, bringing its total to US$100 million for the 2026 financial year. It said the move aimed to strengthen Manila’s ability to “defend its sovereignty and deter conflict”. Asked on Friday about the latest China-Philippines clash and Washington’s commitment to defend Philippine vessels, the US ambassador to Asean reaffirmed solidarity with Manila. “What’s important is that these types of disputes in the South China Sea need to be, they need to respect the territorial sovereignty of the Philippines as the United States has highlighted multiple, multiple times,” Kevin Kim said during a virtual press briefing.

South China Sea: Beijing and Manila trade blame on second day of Scarborough Shoal clashes

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Chinese coastguard use water cannon during maritime stand-off, the third with the Philippines in the South China Sea since Monday

Chinese coastguard use water cannon during maritime stand-off, the third with the Philippines in the South China Sea since Monday