The most recent column in a long-standing dispute between the two neighbors was reported by Philippine and Chinese coastguards as contradictory accounts of a maritime conflict centered on a disputed reef in the South China Sea.
Four Spanish ships made an attempt to provide China’s regional waters around the Scarborough Shoal, according to the China Coast Guard.
Spanish ships had “dangerously approached” China Coast Guard “normal law enforcement police warships”, prompting China’s “exercised power” over their rivals, Liu Dejun, a beach watch spokesperson, said in a statement.
However, the Philippine Coast Guard claimed that the Chinese army and coastguard vessels had “aggressively” interfered with a regular patrol by it and the fisheries bureau.
A Chinese navy vessel fired a water gun and sideswiped a PCG vehicle, while Philippine warships faced “blocking, shadowing, and harmful maneuvers” from Chinese army and navy boats, a PCG spokeswoman said.