The National Task Force of the Philippine government has reported a collision between a Philippine Navy ship, the Sierra Madre, and a Chinese vessel in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea, according to TASS.
The Philippine side has stated that the collision was caused by “dangerous maneuvers” by Chinese coast guard ships. No information has been provided about any casualties.
Prior to this incident, it was revealed that the Chinese coast guard had begun patrolling the disputed Paracel Islands, which are claimed by Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan’s waters.
In February 2023, the Philippines accused China of using a laser weapon in the South China Sea.
According to the Philippine Navy, the laser beam was fired by a Chinese patrol cutter, temporarily blinding some of the crew members of the Philippine ship.
It is noted that this maneuver was carried out to obstruct the delivery of supplies and sailors to the Philippine amphibious ship BRP Sierra Madre, which ran aground in 1999 and is used by the Philippines to assert control over the disputed Spratly Islands. This is the same ship that collided on October 22.
Earlier, China expressed concerns about the military supplies from the United States to Taiwan.
