China and Philippines quarrel over South China Sea collision

BEIJING/MANILA — China and the Philippines traded accusations over a collision in the South China Sea on Monday (June 17), with Manila saying its armed forces would resist Beijing's actions in the disputed waters, the latest in an increasingly testy series of confrontations.

US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson condemned China's "aggressive, dangerous" manoeuvres in a post on X, saying the collision had "caused bodily injury."

The US State Department condemned what it called "escalatory and irresponsible" actions by China and reaffirmed that its mutual defence treaty with the Philippines applied to any armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, vessels, or aircraft anywhere in the South China Sea.

In the latest incident on Monday, China's coastguard said a Philippine supply ship "deliberately and dangerously" approached a Chinese ship resulting in a slight collision after the Philippine ship "illegally intruded" into waters near Second Thomas Shoal, a charge that Manila rejected as "deceptive and misleading".

The US State Department called the incident the latest in a series of Chinese "provocations" to impede supplies from reaching Philippines personnel stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre, a Philippine vessel grounded at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, site of repeated confrontations with China this past year.

"PRC vessels' dangerous and deliberate use of water cannons, ramming, blocking manoeuvres, and towing damaged Philippine vessels, endangered the lives of Philippine service members, is reckless, and threatens regional peace and stability," a State Department statement said.

China and the Philippines have traded barbs for months over dangerous manoeuvres at the Second Thomas Shoal, an atoll within