China blames Philippines for a ship collision in the South China Sea

A Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Monday, China's coast guard said, in the latest flare-up of escalating territorial disputes that have sparked alarm.

The coast guard said a Philippine supply ship entered waters near the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands that's part of territory claimed by several nations. The Philippine military called the Chinese coast guard's report deceptive and misleading.

The Chinese coast guard said in a statement on the social media platform WeChat the Philippine supply ship ignored China's repeated solemn warnings and dangerously approached a Chinese vessel in normal navigation in an unprofessional manner, resulting in a collision.

The Philippines is entirely responsible for this, it added.

In Manila, the Philippine military said it would not discuss operational details on the legal humanitarian rotation and resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal, which