A Chinese navy ship collided with another vessel operated by its own country’s coast guard on Monday, while the latter chased a patrol boat from the Philippines at high speed in the South China Sea, according to officials in Manila.
The incident occurred near the Scarborough Shoal, a disputed shoal in contested waters.
Video of the collision, which Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela shared to social media in its aftermath, shows a Chinese coast guard vessel tailing the Filipino patrol boat before a navy warship belonging to the Chinese military suddenly cuts in front of it. The patrol boat was among several Filipino vessels carrying fuel and supplies to fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal, as part of an initiative by the Philippine government that calls on its coast guard to support the country’s fishing industry, according to the Philippine Information Agency.
In the video footage, the Chinese coast guard vessel appears to slam into the warship’s port side, forcing both to come to a halt while the Filipino boat continues sailing on. Tarriela said in a statement that the collision took place as the Chinese coast guard “performed a risky maneuver” in pursuit of the patrol boat, resulting in “substantial damage” to the Chinese vessel.
The Chinese coast guard blamed Philippine vessels for the confrontation. Gan Yu, a spokesperson for the China Coast Guard, told the official Chinese state news agency Xinhua that Philippine vessels intruded and disregarded China’s repeated warnings. He did not, however, specifically mention a collision and said all actions by China’s coast guard were professional and legitimate.
Tarriela said the Philippine coast guard “immediately offered support” to the Chinese coast guard crew, “including assistance with man-overboard recovery and medical aid” for anyone injured. The extent of any damage to the Chinese vessel or harm to crew members on board was not clear based on Tarriela’s footage.
Officials in the Philippines urged the Chinese government to adhere to international rules that aim to prevent maritime collisions, with the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs saying in a statement that it “has repeatedly emphasized the importance of maritime safety, and is prepared to work with relevant parties to draw lessons from this incident.”
Monday’s incident follows escalating tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea, as China has repeatedly rammed Philippine ships in that region and struck them with water cannons in recent years, “60 Minutes” previously reported. Tarriela said Chinese vessels launched water cannons at Philippine patrol boats during their latest encounter, but the boats evaded them.
Philippine Coast Guard via AP 
Last September, a “60 Minutes” crew witnessed firsthand an incident in which a Chinese coast guard vessel rammed into a Philippine coast guard ship that had deployed for a mission to resupply ships and stations in the South China Sea. The damaged Philippine ship was forced to abandon the first stop of its mission as Chinese vessels surrounded and followed it closely.