South China Sea: Manila reports that a Philippine ship was struck by Chinese coast guard

 South China Sea: Manila reports that a Philippine ship was struck by Chinese coast guard

The Philippines claims that a Chinese supply boat collided with a Chinese coast guard vessel in the South China Sea.

The Filipino ship was traveling on Sunday to a Philippine outpost in the Second Thomas Shoal, where hostilities have risen lately.

Manila said that Beijing's "dangerous blocking manoeuvres" put the Filipino crew's safety in peril.

China, on the other hand, said that the Philippines "deliberately stirred up trouble".

A few Filipino soldiers are stationed aboard an outpost that is a marooned and decaying naval ship, and they need monthly food, thus Chinese and Philippine ships have often played cat-and-mouse around the shoal.

Chinese officials claim that since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in June 2022 and sought deeper military connections with Washington, Beijing's main competitor for dominance in the resource-rich and strategically important waterway, China has become more confrontational.

According to the BBC, Chinese ships are stopping Philippine supply vessels.

China and the United States are engaged in a fierce maritime battle.

Authorities in the Philippines said a Chinese militia vessel collided with a Philippine coast guard ship in a second incident that happened on Sunday at Second Thomas Shoal as well.

Manila reported that a second supply ship made it to the Philippine station in the shoal.

Beijing claims sovereignty over practically the entire South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands, which include the Second Thomas Shoal. Its claims to the sea conflict with those of the Philippines and Vietnam, among other nations.

Acting on a dispute filed by Manila, an international arbitration court in The Hague decided in 2016 that China's extensive maritime claims were unfounded. Beijing has declined to acknowledge it.

What is the conflict in the South China Sea?