New collision of Chinese, Philippine vessels near flashpoint shoal

BEIJING: China´s coast guard said it rescued Filipino “personnel” who fell overboard on Sunday after a Philippine vessel collided with one of its ships near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

The Philippines slammed China´s claims as “completely unfounded”. The two nations have had repeated confrontations in the waters in recent months, and on Saturday Manila accused China of twice firing flares at one of its patrol aircraft.

China has continued to press its claims to almost the entire sea, and has ignored an international tribunal ruling that its assertions have no legal basis.

Beijing accused the Philippine vessel of “deliberately” colliding with a Chinese Coast Guard ship.

It said the collision took place near the disputed Sabina Shoal, 140-kms west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200-kms from Hainan island, the closest Chinese landmass.

China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said the collision occurred when a Philippine vessel refused to comply with “control measures” after attempting to deliver supplies to another vessel “illegally stationed” near Xianbin Reef in the Nansha Islands -- using the Chinese names for the Sabina Shoal and the Spratly Islands, also claimed by Manila.