Manila Livid as Chinese Coast Guard 'Water Cannons' Philippines Supply Ship in South China Sea

Manila expressed strong anger as Chinese coast guard vessels attacked Philippines Navy supply vessels with water cannons to force them away from near the Nansha islands in the disputed South China sea on Saturday.

The supply vessels were en route to Ayungin Shoal in the South China Sea for a routine troop rotation and resupply mission.

"One of our chartered supply boats was blocked and water cannoned by a China Coast Guard’s (CCG) vessel yesterday (Saturday), August 5, while en route to Ayungin Shoal for a routine troop rotation and resupply mission (RORE)," Col. Medel Aguilar, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said in a statement on Sunday.

Aguilar said the CCG vessel took an unlawful action without thinking of the safety of those aboard.

The move, he said, was “in wanton disregard of the safety of the people on board and in violation of international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.”

The Philippine Coast Guard condemned the CCG’s “dangerous” actions. It urged CCG to “restrain its forces, respect the sovereign rights of the Philippines in its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, refrain from hampering freedom of navigation, and take appropriate actions against those involved in the incident.”

"We ask that China Coast Guard, as an organization with a responsibility to observe state obligations under UNCLOS, COLREGs (Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea), and other relevant instruments of international maritime safety and security, to cease all illegal activities within the maritime zones of the Philippines," Tarriela said.

Following the attack, the second supply ship was unable to complete its mission.

"Because of the CCG’s dangerous maneuvers, the second supply boat was not able to unload the supplies and could not complete the RORE mission," Aguilar added.

The U.S. and Australia said they stand with the Philippines on the issue.

"Firing water cannons and employing unsafe blocking maneuvers, PRC ships interfered with the Philippines’ lawful exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and jeopardized the safety of the Philippine vessels and crew. Such actions by the PRC are inconsistent with international law and are the latest in repeated threats to the status quo in the South China Sea, directly threatening regional peace and stability.  By impeding necessary provisions from reaching the Filipino servicemembers stationed at Second Thomas Shoal, the PRC has also undertaken unwarranted interference in lawful Philippine mari0time operations," read a statement posted by the U.S. Department of State's Office of the Spokesperson on Saturday.

China says it shooed away Filipino ships from its territorial waters

Beijing says it “expelled” two Philippines coast guard and two repair ships from ‘its’ territorial waters. The CCG claimed the vessels were carrying illegal building materials.

"We urge the Philippine side to immediately stop its infringing activities in this waters,” spokesperson for the CCG said, adding that “China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters including Ren'ai Jiao.”

"The China Coast Guard will continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters under China's jurisdiction according to law," the spokesperson said.