A CHINESE coast guard ship blocked a Philippine patrol vessels steaming into a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, causing a near-collision, reports the Associated Press.
The face-off between the larger Chinese ship and the Philippine Coast Guard cutter Malapascua near Second Thomas Shoal was among the tense moments, and another Philippine vessel, encountered in a weeklong sovereignty patrol in one of the world's most hotly disputed waters.
The Philippine Coast Guard had invited a small group of journalists, including three from the Associated Press, to join the 1,670-kilometre (1,038-mile) patrol for the first time as part of a new Philippine strategy aimed at exposing China's increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea, where an estimated US$5 trillion in global trade transits each year.
Two Philippine Coast Guard cutters cruised past a string of widely scattered Philippine-occupied and claimed islands, islets and reefs looking for signs of encroachment, illegal fishing and other threats.
In areas occupied or controlled by China, the Philippine patrol vessels received radio warnings in Chinese and halting English, ordering them to immediately leave what the Chinese Coast Guard and navy radio callers claimed were Beijing's "undisputable territories" and issuing unspecified threats for defiance.
Hostilities peaked in the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly archipelago, the most fiercely contested region in the busy sea channel.
As the two patrol vessels approached the shoal's shallows for an underwater survey, the Chinese coast guard repeatedly warned them by radio to leave the area, which is about 194 kilometres (121 miles) west of the Philippine island province of Palawan.
After several radio exchanges, a Chinese Coast Guard caller, sounding agitated, warned of unspecified adversarial action. "Since you have disregarded our warning, we will take further necessary measures on you in accordance with the laws and any consequences entailed will be borne by you," the Chinese speaker said.
A Chinese Coast Guard ship rapidly approached and shadowed the smaller Malapascua and the Malabrigo. When the Malapascua maneuvered toward the mouth of the shoal, the Chinese ship suddenly shifted to block it, coming as close as 120 to 150 feet from its bow.
To avoid a collision, the Philippine cutter abruptly reversed direction then shut off its engine to bring the vessel to a full stop.
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