The Philippines accused the Chinese Coast Guard on Saturday of using water cannons to obstruct three government boats delivering provisions to Filipino fishermen near a reef off its coast. The incident on Saturday took place near Scarborough Shoal, which is claimed by both countries and which Beijing seized from Manila in 2012 after a month-long standoff. The island lies about 220 km off the coast of the Philippines and falls within its exclusive economic zone, according to international maritime law.
The National Task Force for the West Philippines Sea said in a statement that Chinese Coast Guard ships utilized water cannons to obstruct and prevent government vessels from delivering fuel and food supplies to fishing boats. The multi-agency task force condemned the illegal and aggressive actions carried out by the Chinese Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime militia.
Videos released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed Chinese Coast Guard ships hitting the vessels with powerful blasts of water. The Philippine Task Force for the South China Sea and an inter-agency government body said in a statement that water cannons had been used at least eight times on Saturday. It accused the Chinese Coast Guard of directly and deliberately targeting the vessels, with some Filipino crew experiencing severe temporary discomfort and incapacitation after Chinese vessels used what was believed to be a long-range acoustic device.
The mission to distribute fuel and food to more than 30 fishing vessels near the shoal was ongoing, the task force said, accusing the Chinese Coast Guard of deploying inflatable speedboats to drive away the fishermen to prevent the distribution of humanitarian support, which is not only illegal but also inhumane, according to the task force.
According to Chinese state media, Beijing said that it took control measures against the three vessels in the South China Sea that it claimed had intruded into waters near Scarborough Shoal. The Philippines and China have a long history of maritime incidents in the contested South China Sea, through which more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne trade passes annually. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. However, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016 said China's claims had no legal basis.
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