Chinese coast guard struck navy sailor in South China Sea encounter, says Philippine military

MANILA, July 20 (Reuters) – The Philippines accused Chinese coast guard personnel on Monday of aggressively striking one of its navy staff in the head with a wooden baton during an encounter in the South China Sea, an incident its defence ministry described as part of a “clear pattern of provocative and hostile behaviour” by China.

A Philippine sailor was injured, and a navy rubber boat was damaged in the incident at Second Thomas Shoal, which Manila calls Ayungin, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said in a statement.

The AFP said a Chinese Coast Guard rigid hull inflatable boat with eight personnel approached to within close range of its grounded warship on Second Thomas Shoal and took photos and videos.

When two Philippine navy boats moved to drive the Chinese vessel away, its personnel “reacted violently and aggressively by striking Philippine navy personnel with a wooden baton”, the armed forces said, which also released a 25-second video clip showing the encounter.

In the video, one of the eight could be seen hitting a navy crew in a rubber boat that was close to the Chinese vessel. 

“We call on the People’s Liberation Army and the China Coast Guard, including their maritime militia, to put a stop to their illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions within the West Philippine Sea and adhere to the 2016 Arbitral Award that affirms the Philippines’ lawful maritime rights under international law,” the military said.

Southeast Asian ministers are gathering in Manila this week for high-level meetings, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also in attendance. Tensions in the South China Sea are expected to be discussed.

Manila’s foreign ministry said the “act of violence” against its navy personnel was “unacceptable” and warrants diplomatic action.

The shoal is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and is 1,300 km (808 miles) from mainland China, which refers to it as the Renai Reef.

The Philippines has accused China of disrupting resupply missions to troops on the grounded vessel. A June 2024 incident also turned violent and resulted in a Filipino sailor losing a finger.

The 2024 confrontation later led to a provisional understanding with China to allow resupply missions to the grounded ship.

China has denied allegations of aggressive conduct during encounters in the South China Sea and has accused the Philippines of trespassing in its waters.

The Chinese embassy in Manila and China’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.  

(Reporting by Mikhail Flores, Karen Lema and Nestor Corrales; Editing by David Stanway)