China accuses Philippines of ‘false narratives’ after South China sea collision
Key Takeaways
- China and the Philippines blamed each other for the South China Sea collision.
- Beijing accused Manila of spreading "false narratives" about the incident.
- The Philippine vessel was carrying out a fuel assistance mission for Filipino fishermen, according to Manila.
Beijing rejected Manila’s version of a collision involving government vessels near disputed waters, with both sides accusing the other of responsibility.
A collision between Chinese and Philippine government vessels has triggered another dispute between Beijing and Manila over their activities in the South China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun on Friday rejected the Philippines' account of the incident and accused Manila of misrepresenting what happened.
"A spokesperson for the China Coast Guard has issued a statement setting out the true facts of the matter [...] The Philippines should immediately cease its infringements and provocations at sea, and stop spreading false narratives and distorting the facts," Guo said.
Two Accounts of the Collision
According to the Philippine Coast Guard, its government fisheries ship was about 54 nautical miles from Palawan and carrying out a refuelling mission when it collided with a China Coast Guard vessel.
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China offered a different version of events. Beijing said its coast guard was conducting a patrol around Xianbin Reef, which is also known as Sabina Shoal, when the Philippine ship approached.
Chinese authorities claimed the vessel continued despite several warnings and was responsible for the collision.
The incident comes amid competing claims in the South China Sea involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
China claims much of the waterway. However, an international tribunal in 2016 rejected the legal basis for Beijing's claim to historic rights within its 'nine-dash line'. China does not recognise the ruling.
Beijing Addresses US and EU Relations
The maritime dispute was one of several foreign policy issues Guo addressed on Friday.
Asked about President Xi Jinping's planned visit to the United States for the UN General Assembly, Guo said Chinese and US officials remained in communication about a possible meeting with US President Donald Trump.
He also responded to reports that the European Union was considering measures targeting imports of Chinese hybrid vehicles.
Guo called on the EU to "honour its commitments to market openness and free trade."
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"The essence of China-EU economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, not zero-sum competition where one side loses and the other wins. Adhering to openness and cooperation, and resolving economic and trade differences through equal dialogue and consultation, is in the common interests of both China and the EU," he stressed.
Guo also raised China's concerns about what he described as growing 'denialism' in Japan as September 18 marked 95 years since the Mukden Incident.
The incident involved Japan's Kwantung Army staging an explosion on a railway near Mukden, now Shenyang, before the invasion of Manchuria.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
