2 ships collide: Terrifying moments

Two ships belonging to China and the Philippines have collided. In a statement issued by the China Coast Guard, it was claimed that a Philippine supply ship entered waters near the Second Thomas Shoal illegally and caused the collision by approaching Chinese vessels in a dangerous manner.

The statement alleged that the Philippine ship ignored warnings from the Chinese side, though no information was provided regarding whether there was any damage or injury on either side due to the collision.

The Second Thomas Shoal, which is part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea and under Philippine control, has recently been the scene of friction and tensions where ships from the two countries have faced off. The Beijing administration states that the Sierra Madre warship, which was grounded on the reef, is in the area illegally and demands its withdrawal and the restoration of the reef to its original state.

The China Coast Guard's attempts to block supply missions intended to meet the needs of sailors on the ship at the reef are escalating tensions between the countries. In the most recent tension between the two nations, the Philippines alleged that a portion of the aid packages dropped by air for personnel on its grounded ship in the South China Sea on May 19 was seized by China.

China, on the other hand, claimed at the beginning of this month that the Philippines had cut and removed nets set up by Chinese fishermen around the reef. 

SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE

The South China Sea has been at the center of sovereignty disputes among regional countries since the Second World War, when coastal nations gained their independence. While China claims sovereignty over 80 percent of the South China Sea with a map it first published in 1947, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia, as well as the Philippines, also lay claims to the region, which is rich in underground resources.

The US, along with regional countries, opposes China's construction of bases on disputed islands in the region and its presence there with civilian ship fleets in addition to military assets.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in a decision made upon the application of the Philippines that China's unilateral sovereignty claims in the South China Sea were not legal.

News Source: 12punto