A Chinese navy warship and a China Coast Guard vessel collided Monday while chasing a Philippine patrol boat near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
Axar.az reports, citing ABC, that the Philippine Coast Guard released video showing the two Chinese vessels crashing, leaving the coast guard ship’s bow crushed and reportedly “unseaworthy.”
Philippine officials said the Chinese vessels had been pursuing the BRP Suluan, which was escorting aid deliveries to local fishermen.
The Philippines offered assistance to the damaged Chinese vessel, but received no response. The incident follows years of tensions over Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims, which have been rejected under international law. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos vowed continued patrols to assert sovereignty.