China Coast Guard uses water cannon on Philippine ships in South China Sea

MANILA/SHANGHAI (Reuters) -- China's coast guard said it had taken measures against Philippine vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Saturday, while the Philippines decried the moves, including the use of water cannons, as "irresponsible and provocative."

China's actions led to "significant damage" and injury to personnel on a civilian boat hired to resupply troops, the Philippine task force on the South China Sea said in a statement.

The incident occurred in the Second Thomas Shoal and Spratly Islands waters, according to the Chinese coast guard. The shoal is home to a small number of Filipino troops stationed on a warship that Manila grounded there in 1999 to reinforce its sovereignty claims.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including the Second Thomas Shoal, which is within the Philippines' 320-kilometer exclusive economic zone, and has deployed vessels to patrol the disputed atoll. A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration found that China's sweeping claims have no legal basis.

The civilian boat was being escorted by two Philippine navy ships and two Philippine Coast Guard vessels, according to a statement from the Philippine military.

A Philippine Coast Guard vessel was "impeded" and "encircled" by a China Coast Guard vessel and two Chinese maritime militia vessels, the Philippine Coast Guard said in a separate statement.

As a result, the Philippine Coast Guard vessel was "isolated" from the resupply boat by the "irresponsible and provocative behavior" of the Chinese maritime forces, the agency said.

Washington "stands with its ally the Philippines and condemns the dangerous actions" of China, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

"The PRC’s actions are