China ship delayed sick sailor rescue, Manila says

The Philippines said a China Coast Guard ship delayed the medical evacuation of a sick Filipino soldier near Second Thomas Shoal on Thursday, as Manila also reported a near-doubling of Chinese military and coast guard vessels in disputed South China Sea waters last month.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said a China Coast Guard vessel fired a water cannon in an “apparent attempt” to stop a Philippine patrol ship from reaching a grounded Philippine warship on the shoal to collect the soldier. Tarriela said the spray did not directly hit the Philippine vessel, but “obstructed and delayed the mission for nearly 10 hours”, forcing the ship to leave the area for crew safety.

The Philippine Coast Guard deployed rubber boats from about 24 kilometres away to pick up the soldier, who was in stable condition. Tarriela said using a water cannon during a humanitarian mission was dangerous and unlawful.

The soldier was part of a small Philippine military unit based on a derelict warship that Manila grounded on Second Thomas Shoal, which the Philippines says is inside its exclusive economic zone.

The Chinese embassy spokesman in Manila did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The confrontation came as Manila said it monitored 101 Chinese navy and coast guard ships in September around Philippine-garrisoned Thitu Island and Second Thomas Shoal, and off Sabina Shoal and Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal. The Philippine military tally was nearly double the 56 vessels it recorded in August.

Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Philippine military’s South China Sea spokesman, told AFP that the Chinese buildup aimed to “break our people’s resolve to keep what is ours”. He called it “mission kill”, saying it sought to destroy the Philippines’ ability to continue its mission.

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. Confrontations between Philippine and Chinese ships have in some cases led to collisions causing injuries and damage.

Last weekend, Manila accused China’s military and coast guard of harassing Philippine government aircraft and boats in two areas of the South China Sea that Manila says lie within its exclusive economic zone. Beijing this week warned Manila against “provocative acts” and said a Philippine Cessna near Scarborough Shoal had violated Chinese airspace.