China accused of using water cannon on Philippine boat
Alleging that China's coastguard employed a water cannon to obstruct a Philippine military supply vessel in the South China Sea. These actions have been denounced by the Philippines as both illegal and characterized as 'excessive' and 'perilous.'
The recent incident, transpiring on Saturday, marks the latest escalation within the enduring territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei.
China's claim to sovereignty over a vast portion of the South China Sea, a critical global maritime route, remains a contentious matter. However, an international tribunal established under the United Nations rejected China's expansive assertion in 2016, declaring it to be without valid basis.
According to statements from Philippine military and coastguard authorities, the recent confrontation unfolded in the vicinity of the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef where a limited contingent of Philippine troops resides aboard a World War II-era vessel purposefully grounded there in 1999.
The incident narrative indicates that naval personnel aboard two chartered supply boats were en route to the shoal, accompanied by Philippine coastguard vessels. During this mission, a Chinese coastguard ship approached the convoy and employed a forceful water cannon to impede the delivery of essential provisions, encompassing food, water, and fuel, intended for the safeguarding troops stationed on the reef.
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