Chinese Coast Guard rams Philippine boat in South China Sea, sparking diplomatic clash
Tensions in the South China Sea escalated again Friday after a Chinese Coast Guard vessel collided with a Philippine government ship, an encounter captured on video that prompted competing accounts from Manila and Beijing.The Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel BRP Datu Magat Salamat was distributing fuel to Filipino fishermen when the collision occurred at 11:13 a.m., roughly 54 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan province — an area Manila says is well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.Footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed crew members shouting, "Brace for impact!" moments before the collision.Photographs taken afterward showed bent and detached railings, damaged metal supports and debris scattered across the Philippine ship's deck.
No injuries were reported.SEE IT: CHINESE NATIONALS INTERCEPTED IN ‘EXTREMELY DANGEROUS’ INFILTRATION ATTEMPT NEAR FLORIDA COASTA Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel, labeled DA-BFAR MMOV 3015, navigates in proximity to another ship during a maritime encounter.(Chinese Coast Guard )Philippine officials accused Beijing of deliberately ramming a civilian government vessel on what they described as a humanitarian and livelihood mission.Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for West Philippine Sea concerns, said the Chinese vessel first cut across the Philippine ship's stern at a distance of about 33 feet before repeating the maneuver minutes later and colliding with it.Two Philippine Coast Guard ships were reportedly surrounded by Chinese vessels in a tense standoff in the South China Sea on March 24, 2025.
(Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/Anadolu via Getty Images)Beijing disputed Manila's account.Chinese Coast Guard spokesperson Jiang Lue said the Philippine vessel "intentionally adjusted its course and suddenly accelerated to cut across the bow" of the Chinese ship after disregarding repeated warnings.
China said its vessel had been c...