The incident unfolded on February 6 in the marine area about 20 kilometers from the atoll of Second Thomas
The Philippine coast guard today accused China of targeting its ship with a “military-style laser” in a disputed region of the South China Sea, temporarily blinding its crew.
The incident unfolded on February 6 in the maritime space about 20 kilometers from the atoll of Second Thomas in the Spratly archipelago, where a makeshift base of the Armed Forces of the Philippines is located, Manila said.
A Chinese coast guard vessel twice directed a “military-style” green laser at the Philippine ship, resulting in “temporary blindness of the crew (who were) on the bridge,” he added.
Furthermore, the Philippine Coast Guard accused the Chinese vessel of making “dangerous maneuvers”, approaching within about 140 meters.
The Philippine Coast Guard patrol boat was on a mission to change shifts and resupply soldiers inside a half-submerged 100-meter-long ship that ran aground—intentionally—on the atoll in 1999 to bolster Manila’s claims to the Spratlys.
The atoll is 105 nautical miles (195 km) from the province of Palawan.
“The deliberate obstruction of Philippine government vessels (from) supplying food and material to our soldiers (…) is a flagrant and clear violation of Manila’s sovereign rights” in “this part of the West Philippine Sea,” always according to with the port body, which with this term refers to the waters west of the country.
It was not clear if the resupply mission was carried out. Commercial vessels, accompanied by the Coast Guard, are usually used to transport food and material.
Asked about this, China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond. In general, Beijing says it is willing to “amicably” handle its differences with Manila, something it reiterated during President Ferdinand Marcos’ visit to the Chinese capital in January.
The new incident in the sea adds to a series of previous ones, as the two countries stake various claims in this strategically important maritime area, with rich energy resources and abundant catches.
China claims almost all of it, but the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have claims. Beijing is defying a ruling by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which ruled that its own claims have no legal basis.
In early February, Washington and Manila agreed to resume joint patrols in the South China Sea, while also revealing that the US armed forces would gain access to four more military bases in the Philippines. The two allies say they intend to counter the rise of China’s military power and what they call its aggressive behavior in the region.
In December 2022, Manila announced the upcoming operation of a direct communication line between the foreign ministries of the two states to avoid “any miscalculation” in the South China Sea.
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