There has been a collision between a Filipino supply boat and the Chinese coast guard in the South China Sea, which the Philippines blames on China’s coast guard.

Earlier this week, tensions escalated between the Philippines and the Second Thomas Shoal, where the Filipino vessel was headed.

The Filipino crew’s safety was threatened by Beijing’s “dangerous blocking manoeuvres.”

China, however, said the Philippines deliberately stirred up trouble.

As Filipino troops on the outpost, a marooned and crumbling navy ship, need monthly rations, Chinese and Philippine ships have routinely played cat-and-mouse around the shoal.

However, Filipino authorities say China has grown more aggressive since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr took office in June 2022 and sought closer military ties with Washington, Beijing’s chief rival for influence in the resource-rich and strategic sea.

The Philippine coast guard ship was bumped by a Chinese militia vessel near Second Thomas Shoal on Sunday as well.

According to Manila, a second supply ship was able to reach the Philippine outpost in the shoal.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including the Spratlys, where the Second Thomas Shoal is located. There is overlap between its claims and those of other countries, such as Vietnam and the Philippines.

As part of a case brought forward by Manila, an international arbitration court ruled in 2016 that China’s vast sea claims were unfounded. The Chinese government has refused to recognize it.