China and the Philippines accused each other on Tuesday of provocative actions near the contested Scarborough Shoal, after a tense encounter between two coastguard vessels.
The Chinese patrol vessel Zhongnan, bearing the hull number 21612, was involved in an incident with the BRP Cabra, numbered 4409, from the Philippines on Monday morning, around 36 nautical miles (67km) south of the shoal in the South China Sea.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Philippine coastguard said the Chinese vessel “increased its speed and manoeuvred past the port side” of the Cabra, “dangerously blocking its navigation route”.
Philippine coastguard spokesman Jay Tarriela accused the Chinese side of “bully tactics” and said the incident highlighted its “non-compliance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea and reflects a blatant disregard for safety at sea”.
In response, the Chinese coastguard described the Philippine claim as an attempt “to stage a show of false collision for cameras and concoct a false narrative to discredit us”.
The Philippine vessel had crossed the Zhongnan’s bow four times without warning in a sudden and dangerous approach, the coastguard said, according to state news agency Xinhua.
“They illegally approached China’s normal sailing coastguard ship in a dangerous manner, threatening the safety of China’s personnel and ships. Our operation was professional and lawful, and the responsibility lies entirely with the Philippine side,” it said.
The encounter between the 600-tonne, high speed Zhongnan and the 44-metre (144 feet) Parola-class Cabra, with a displacement of 320 tonnes, was the latest in a series of recent incidents at the long-term flash point.
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