China’s foreign ministry accused a Philippine ship of sailing “dangerously in waters under China’s jurisdiction,” threatening the lives of Chinese personnel in a fishing boat.
According to GMA reports, Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked about an incident on October 11. During the collision, China claims that Philippine official vessels sailed in waters under China’s territory.
“As far as I know, the truth is that Philippine official vessels sailed dangerously in waters under China’s jurisdiction and collided with a Chinese fishing boat conducting regular operation there,” Ning said.
However, Philippine officials say otherwise. According to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), their boats BRP Datu Cabaylo and BRP Datu Sanday were in the vicinity of the Pag-asa (Sandy) Cays, five nautical miles from Pag-asa (Thitu) Island in Barangay Pag-asa, Kalayaan, Palawan, when a Chinese maritime militia vessel attempted to block their paths.
Nevertheless, Ning stated at the conference: “As far as I know, the truth is that Philippine official vessels sailed dangerously in waters under China’s jurisdiction and collided with a Chinese fishing boat conducting regular operation there.”
“China urges the Philippines to earnestly respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea and stop any actions that might complicate the situation,” she added.
The two countries have been disagreeing over maritime claims for a long time, with Beijing claiming almost the entire South China Sea, including the Philippine-occupied island of Thitu.
