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Chinese moves to block resupply mission cause collision: task force

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="This aerial photograph taken from a military aircraft shows the dilapidated Sierra Madre ship of the Philippine Navy anchored near Ayungin shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) with Philippine soldiers on-board to secure the perimeter in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, on May 11, 2015. Ritchie B. Tongo, Pool/AFP/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/afp/08/08/ayungin-shoal-afp-08082023.jpg"/><figcaption>This aerial photograph taken from a military aircraft shows the dilapidated Sierra Madre ship of the Philippine Navy anchored near Ayungin shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) with Philippine soldiers on-board to secure the perimeter in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, on May 11, 2015. Ritchie B. Tongo, Pool/AFP/File</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA (UPDATED) — The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea on Sunday said a Chinese coast guard vessel conducted &quot;dangerous blocking maneuvers&quot; against a resupply boat headed to BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, causing a collision.The blocking maneuvers by China Coast Guard vessel 5203 against resupply boat Unaiza May 2 happened 13.5 nautical miles east northeast of where BRP Sierra Madre is.The task force called CCGV 5203&#x27;s actions &quot;provocative, irresponsible and illegal&quot; and said that endangered the crew of Unaiza May 2, a ship that had been contracted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines for the rotation and resupply (RORE) mission.&quot;The RORE mission is still ongoing, with Unaiza May 1 reaching BRP Sierra Madre to successfully resupply our troops and personnel stationed there,&quot; it said.&quot;The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea condemns in the strongest degree the latest dangerous, irresponsible, and illegal actions of the CCG and the Chinese Maritime Militia done this morning.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/22/23/us-canada-condemn-chinese-ships-maneuvers-in-west-philippine-sea">US, Canada condemn Chinese ships&#x27; maneuvers in West Philippine Sea</a></li></ul>It said the maneuvers violated Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights and were in &quot;utter blatant disregard of the United Nations charter, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea&quot; and other conventions. <figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2851650" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div style="text-align:center">Video courtesy of the AFP Western Command</div><div>Chinese militia vessel &#x27;bumps&#x27; BRP Cabra</div>The task force also said that a Chinese Maritime Militia vessel &quot;bumped&quot; BRP Cabra (MRRV 4409) during the resupply mission.Chinese Maritime Militia vessel 00003 bumped BRP Cabra 6.4 nautical miles northeast of Ayungin Shoal, the task force said.&quot;Relevant authorities are briefed of the incident and developments in the ongoing RORE mission,&quot; it also said.In an alert on its website, the Chinese Coast Guard said it had &quot;blocked vessels from the Philippines delivering illegal construction materials to the illegally grounded warship on the Ren’ai Reef in accordance with the law.&quot;In a follow-up statement, it also put the blame on the collisions on the Philippine ships, saying Unaiza May 2 had ignored multiple warnings while BRP Cabra had &quot;deliberately provoked trouble and reversed its vehicle on its own initiative.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/10/19/23/defense-chief-says-china-a-squatter-in-west-ph-sea">Defense chief says China a ‘squatter’ in West PH Sea</a></li></ul><div>Collisions prompt condemnation</div>In a statement Sunday, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada — chair of the Senate defense committee — said China&#x27;s aggressive attempts to block resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre have inevitably led to the incident on Sunday.&quot;These actions not only violate maritime norms and international law but also pose a threat to the safety and security of the region,&quot; he said.He also urged the executive branch to study what the Philippines can do in response.&quot;This is a violation of our sovereign rights and an assault on our maritime personnel; it is completely unacceptable. Will a mere diplomatic protest still suffice?&quot; he said.Sen. Francis Tolentino — designated chair of the Senate Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones in August — meanwhile said that the latest incident shows China&#x27;s disregard for international law and maritime safety.&quot;Ang naturang insidente ay dapat mapasailalim sa isang masusing imbestigasyon sa ilalim ng International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) at ang Code for Investigation ng Marine Casualties and Incidents ng International Maritime Organization,&quot; he also said.(This incident must be subjected to a thorough investigation under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and the Code for Investigation ng Marine Casualties and Incidents of the International Maritime Organization.)Senator Risa Hontiveros, for her part, called on China to stop making claims in the West Philippine Sea and to recognize the 2016 Arbitral Award.&quot;China, tama na. This latest collision is squarely the China Coast Guard’s fault. The 2016 Arbitral Award has resolutely invalidated China’s claims in the West Philippine Sea, making this incident a clear violation of international law,&quot; she said.&quot;The Philippine Coast Guard has every right to be in the West Philippine Sea. Walang karapatan ang Tsina na itaboy ang ating mga tropa sa ating karagatan. At mas lalong wala silang karapatan na saktan at banggain ang Pilipinong barkong tanging gumagawa lang ng kanyang trabaho sa sarili nating teritoryo,&quot; Hontiveros added.(The Philippine Coast Guard has every right to be in the West Philippine Sea. China has no right to block out troops in our waters. And they definitely have no right to stop Philippine vessels that are only doing what they need to do within our territory.)

'The [Rotation and Resupply] mission is still ongoing, with Unaiza May 1 reaching BRP Sierra Madre to successfully resupply our troops and personnel stationed there,' the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said.