MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Chinese navy and coast guard vessels had taken “aggressive actions” against a routine patrol by it and the fisheries bureau near the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Wednesday.
A Chinese coastguard fired a water cannon at a PCG vessel “aiming directly at the vessel’s navigational antennas”, Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the South China Sea, said in a statement.
Philippine vessels also faced “blocking, shadowing, and dangerous manoeuvres” from Chinese navy and coastguard ships, he added.
Tensions between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea have escalated throughout the year, particularly over the Scarborough Shoal, a prime fishing patch.
China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, a vital waterway for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, parts of which are also claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
(Reporting by Mikhail Flores and Neil Jermome Morales; Editing by John Mair)
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