Coast guard ships from China and the Philippines collided early Monday morning near a shoal in the South China Sea, the two countries said, with each blaming the other for damage caused to their vessels.
The clash came despite Beijing and Manila last month reaching a tentative deal to deescalate the maritime situation and manage relations at sea.
The China Coast Guard said a Philippine ship scraped along its vessel in waters near Sabina Shoal at 3.24am, claiming it "ignored repeated warnings" and "intentionally sailed dangerously" toward the Chinese ship.
Then, around 6am, the Philippine vessel intruded into waters near another reef called Second Thomas Shoal, prompting the China Coast Guard to take control measures in accordance with the law, its spokesman Gan Yu said.
The Philippine government said Monday that two of its patrol ships "encountered unlawful and aggressive manoeuvres" from Chinese Coast Guard vessels, resulting in collisions that caused structural damage to both vessels.
A collision caused a 1.1-metre hole to be punctured in the side of one of the Philippine vessels, the country's coast guard said.
In July, the two countries reached a provisional agreement to jointly manage differences on maritime issues through dialogue and consultation and deescalate tensions in the South China Sea, following intensifying on-water skirmishes since last year.
The China Coast Guard claimed the Philippines violated the temporary accord, seriously infringed upon Beijing's sovereignty and damaged peace and stability in the region.
China claims sovereignty over the Manila-controlled Second Thomas Shoal, which it calls Ren'ai Jiao, and has interfered with missions to supply a Philippine naval vessel grounded there to serve as a military outpost.
Sabina Shoal, located within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, lies near Second Thomas Shoal.
China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that invalidated its sweeping claims in the South China Sea.
The clash came despite Beijing and Manila last month reaching a tentative deal to deescalate the maritime situation and manage relations at sea.
The China Coast Guard said a Philippine ship scraped along its vessel in waters near Sabina Shoal at 3.24am, claiming it "ignored repeated warnings" and "intentionally sailed dangerously" toward the Chinese ship.
Then, around 6am, the Philippine vessel intruded into waters near another reef called Second Thomas Shoal, prompting the China Coast Guard to take control measures in accordance with the law, its spokesman Gan Yu said.
The Philippine government said Monday that two of its patrol ships "encountered unlawful and aggressive manoeuvres" from Chinese Coast Guard vessels, resulting in collisions that caused structural damage to both vessels.
A collision caused a 1.1-metre hole to be punctured in the side of one of the Philippine vessels, the country's coast guard said.
In July, the two countries reached a provisional agreement to jointly manage differences on maritime issues through dialogue and consultation and deescalate tensions in the South China Sea, following intensifying on-water skirmishes since last year.
The China Coast Guard claimed the Philippines violated the temporary accord, seriously infringed upon Beijing's sovereignty and damaged peace and stability in the region.
China claims sovereignty over the Manila-controlled Second Thomas Shoal, which it calls Ren'ai Jiao, and has interfered with missions to supply a Philippine naval vessel grounded there to serve as a military outpost.
Sabina Shoal, located within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, lies near Second Thomas Shoal.
China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that invalidated its sweeping claims in the South China Sea.
