Chinese Coast Guard ships used water cannons against Philippine civilian vessels of the Bureau of Fisheries and Water Resources (BFAR).

Jay Tarriela, a representative of the Philippine Coast Guard, reported this on X (Twitter).

The incident occurred during a humanitarian mission to provide oil subsidies and food packages to more than 30 Filipino fishing vessels in the area of Badjo Island in the West Philippine Sea.

According to reports received, as BFAR vessels approached a distance of 1.4 to 1.9 nautical miles from Badjo Island, Chinese coast guard ships used water cannons.

The Chinese Coast Guard prevented BFAR vessels from approaching Philippine fishing vessels.

Water cannons were deployed at least eight times. In addition, Chinese ships are reported to have made dangerous maneuvers and used long-range acoustic devices against BFAR vessels.

The use of such devices caused serious temporary discomfort and loss of efficiency by some crew members of Philippine ships.

The use of water cannons caused significant damage to the communication and navigation equipment of the BFAR Datu Tamblot vessel.

Moreover, Filipino fishermen reported and documented that the Chinese Coast Guard launched a small boat to illegally install a floating barrier at the southeast entrance of Badjo Island.

“We demand that the Chinese government take immediate action to halt these aggressive activities and uphold the principles of international law and desist from actions that would infringe on Philippine Sovereignty and endanger the lives and livelihood of Filipino fishermen who have traditionally fished in the area,” Jay Tarriela stated.

In October, the Militarnyi reported a collision between the Chinese Coast Guard ship 5203 (CCGV 5203) and the civilian Unaiza May 2 (UM2) boat, which was used by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.