Chinese Navy Ship Collides with Own Coast Guard Vessel During South China Sea Chase
So here’s a pretty wild and tense incident that just happened in the South China Sea. On Monday, a Chinese navy warship actually rammed into one of its own coast guard vessels while it was chasing a Philippine patrol boat near the disputed Scarborough Shoal. This whole episode was captured on video and released by the Philippines, showing a chaotic pursuit that ended with a collision causing serious damage to the Chinese coast guard ship.
To give you the background, the Scarborough Shoal is a cluster of reefs and rocks that has long been a hot spot of tension between China and the Philippines. China took control of it back in 2012, and since then, both countries have been in constant disagreement, often resulting in confrontations at sea. The area is strategically important and lies in one of the world’s busiest maritime routes, so both sides are very sensitive about any presence in those waters.
On this occasion, Philippine coast guard vessels were out delivering aid to local fishermen when a Chinese coast guard ship began aggressively pursuing them. According to Philippine officials, the Chinese coast guard performed what they called a “risky maneuver” — trying to cut off the Philippine boat — but in the process, it crashed into a much larger Chinese navy warship nearby. The collision caused significant damage to the Chinese coast guard ship’s front deck, making it “unseaworthy,” meaning it can’t safely sail until it’s repaired.
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The Chinese government acknowledged there was a confrontation and accused the Philippine vessels of “forcibly intruding” into Chinese waters. However, they didn’t mention the collision in their official statements. Instead, the Chinese coast guard claimed their actions were legal and necessary to enforce China’s maritime laws, saying they took “all necessary measures” to push the Philippine boats away. Meanwhile, the Philippines called out China for reckless behavior that could lead to accidents — and here, it definitely did.
What makes this incident even more interesting is the video footage itself, which shows the Chinese coast guard vessel chasing the Philippine ship at high speed, then suddenly turning and slamming into the Chinese navy warship. At one point, water cannons were also used by the Chinese side in an attempt to drive off the Philippine boats. The Philippine coast guard ship reportedly managed to evade the water cannon attack and continued its mission.
This latest event is just the newest in a series of escalating encounters between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea dispute. The two countries have had several tense episodes recently, some involving physical altercations between personnel. In fact, just last year, there was an incident where Filipino soldiers had to physically fend off Chinese coast guard members armed with traditional weapons.
Despite the tension, the Philippines has vowed to maintain a presence in the area to assert its sovereign rights. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. emphasized that Philippine patrol vessels will continue to operate there, defending what Manila sees as its territory. On the other hand, China insists it is simply protecting its claims.
So, what we’re seeing here is a risky game of naval brinkmanship with real potential for accidents — like this collision — that could escalate tensions further. The South China Sea dispute remains one of the most volatile and complicated geopolitical issues in Asia, and incidents like this only add fuel to the fire.
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