China’s coast guard personnel acted like a “band of barbarians” during a Philippine resupply mission to a contested shoal in the South China Sea this week that led to injuries and damage to vessels, a senior navy official said yesterday.
A Philippine sailor suffered serious injury after what its military described as “intentional-high speed ramming” by the Chinese Coast Guard, aiming to disrupt a resupply mission for troops stationed on the Second Thomas Shoal.
China’s Coast Guard personnel, which Philippine military officials said were carrying knives and spears, looted firearms and “deliberately punctured” Philippine boats involved in the mission.
“We were unprepared for that kind of response,” Philippine navy spokesperson Roy Trinidad said in a phone interview yesterday. “We stuck with the rules of engagement. They were not allowed to use guns except for self defence.”
Trinidad said China’s “illegal, aggressive and deceptive” actions raises the risk of miscalculation at sea.
But China’s foreign ministry disputed the Philippines’ statement, with a spokesperson saying yesterday that the necessary measures taken were lawful, professional and beyond reproach.
“The Philippine ships not only carry building materials, they also smuggled weapons and equipment and deliberately rammed Chinese ships,” said ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.
