Collisions between Philippine and Chinese ships Storm surge causes serious damage in Germany – Denmark and Norway are also affected

China and the Philippines blame each other for the multi-ship clashes in the South China Sea. The Philippine Coast Guard said on Sunday that two of its ships were rammed by a Chinese maritime militia ship near a territorially disputed atoll.

The Philippine government condemned the incident “in the strongest possible terms” and said it was a violation of its sovereignty. The Chinese ship carried out a “provocative, irresponsible and illegal action.”

However, the Chinese Coast Guard blamed the Philippine ships for the collisions. A statement on Sunday said the Philippine ships entered Chinese waters without permission despite repeated radio warnings. The behavior of the Philippine side is a serious violation of international rules.

The Philippine ships were headed to a small atoll called Second Thomas Shoal to supply the troops stationed there on a derelict World War II warship. Both the Philippines and China claim the area.

Dangerous maneuvers regularly take place when supplying Philippine marines. In August, a Chinese coast guard ship fired water cannons at Philippine boats. This time, however, authorities in both countries reported an actual collision for the first time.

The People’s Republic of China claims much of the South China Sea for itself. The international arbitration court in The Hague rejected China’s claims in 2016, but Beijing ignored this. About two-thirds of world trade passes through the maritime domain between China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.

(yam/sda/dpa)