Military Space News
FLOATING STEEL
Philippine Coast Guard accuses Chinese vessels of 'dangerous' manoeuvres
Philippine Coast Guard accuses Chinese vessels of 'dangerous' manoeuvres
By Cecil MORELLA
Manila (AFP) Feb 11, 2024

The Philippine Coast Guard on Sunday accused Chinese vessels of "dangerous" manoeuvres during a nine-day patrol near a reef off the coast of the Southeast Asian country.

The Philippine vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua was sent in early February to patrol the waters around Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground in the South China Sea, and deliver provisions to Filipino fishermen and ensure their safety.

The reef has been a flashpoint between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012.

Since then, Beijing has deployed patrol boats that Manila says harass Philippine vessels and prevent Filipino fishermen from reaching the lagoon where fish are more plentiful.

During the patrol, Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels "performed dangerous and blocking manoeuvres at sea against BRP Teresa Magbanua four times, with the CCG vessels crossing the bow of the PCG vessel twice", the Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement.

The Philippine Coast Guard said its ship was also "shadowed" by four Chinese Coast Guard vessels "on more than 40 occasions".

The coast guard also observed what it described as "four Chinese Maritime Militia vessels".

China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu hit back, saying the Philippine vessel had "illegally intruded" into the waters several times.

"The China Coast Guard, noting that the warnings it had issued had proved ineffective, took action in accordance with the law to control the progression of the Philippine vessel and force it to leave," Gan said.

"The China Coast Guard dealt with the incident professionally and to standard," he added.

Videos released by the Philippine Coast Guard show a Chinese Coast Guard vessel metres from the port beam of the BRP Teresa Magbanua, before it crosses the path of the Philippine boat.

Scarborough Shoal is 240 kilometres (150 miles) west of the Philippines' main island of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometres from the nearest major Chinese land mass of Hainan.

The incidents came two months after tense standoffs between China and the Philippines around disputed reefs in the South China Sea that saw a collision between vessels from the two countries and Chinese ships blasting water cannon at Philippine boats.

China claims almost the entire sea and has ignored an international tribunal ruling that its assertions have no legal basis.

It deploys boats to patrol the busy waterway and has built artificial islands that it has militarised to reinforce its claims.

Chinese and Philippine officials last month agreed on the need for closer dialogue to deal with "maritime emergencies" in the waterway as tensions escalated.

Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FLOATING STEEL
Houthi rebels fire on U.S. Navy destroyer in Red Sea
Washington DC (UPI) Jan 26, 2024
Houthi rebels based in Yemen launched an attack on a U.S. Navy ship in the Red Sea, the latest salvo in the ongoing conflict, U.S. Central Command confirmed Friday morning. "At approximately 1:30 p.m. Sanaa time (5:30 a.m. EST), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward Arleigh-Burke class destroyer USS Carney in the Gulf of Aden," U.S. Central Command said in a statement. "The missile was successfully shot down by ... read more

FLOATING STEEL
SpaceX launches batch of satellites for Space Systems Command

Aerojet Rocketdyne Powers Key U.S. Missile Defense Test with Advanced MRBM Target

THAAD Localization Efforts Align with Saudi Vision 2030 Objectives

Northrop Grumman Advances Homeland Defense with Early NGI Milestone

FLOATING STEEL
Iran fires first ship-based long-range ballistic missiles

Russia fires 26 missiles at Ukraine, at least one dead

North Korea fires several cruise missiles off east coast

Houthi missile strikes Iran-bound cargo ship in Red Sea but crew escape injury

FLOATING STEEL
Xwing's autonomous aircraft aprpoved for cargo missions in California

US vows decisive response to deadly drone attack in Jordan

LIDS: The Army's Answer to Evolving Unmanned Aircraft Threats

DARPA's REMA Program Revolutionizes Commercial Drone Autonomy for Military Use

FLOATING STEEL
Viasat Installs Advanced SATCOM System on First U.S. Navy MSC Ship

Space Force initiates MUOS Service Life Extension with Lockheed Martin design contract

Government Connectivity Enters New Era: MetTel and Partners Highlight LEO Satellite Solutions

General Atomics to Showcase Optical Communication Terminals in Space with SDA Contract

FLOATING STEEL
Northrop Grumman to Revolutionize Space Missions with Next-Gen Cryocoolers

The US 'can and will' deliver more Ukraine aid: top advisor

Ukraine urges EU to speed up artillery shell supplies

Curtiss-Wright Unveils New Rugged SFF Mission Computer for Harsh Environments

FLOATING STEEL
Stoltenberg says 18 of 31 NATO members set to meet 2% GDP spending goal

Senate passes $95B emergency defense bill with Ukraine, Israel aid

Europe's becoming Ukraine's arsenal as Scholz urges 'mass production' of arms

Around 20 NATO countries set to hit spending target in 2024

FLOATING STEEL
Europe needs 'second life insurance' in addition to NATO: France

US defense chief released from hospital

Biden blasts Trump's 'dumb' and 'dangerous' NATO threats

Sweden hopes for Hungarian go ahead to join NATO

FLOATING STEEL
Researchers unveil novel technique for creating atomically thin nanoscrolls

MIT.nano equipment to accelerate innovation in "tough tech" sectors

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.