China and the Philippines trade blame over two South China Sea collisions

The Philippine coast guard claims that ships were ‘bumped’ by Chinese vessels in incidents close to outposts in the Spratly Islands

Beijing and Manila have traded blame for two separate collisions on Sunday between Chinese vessels and Philippine boats on a resupply mission to Filipino troops on a remote outpost in the disputed South China Sea.

The incidents occurred near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands – a hotly contested region where Beijing deploys ships to assert its claims over almost the entire sea.