Philippines accuses China of ‘aggressive’ tactics in South China Sea

China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, including areas claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, but a 2016 international arbitral ruling has rejected its claim as having no basis in international law [File: Adrian Portugal/Reuters]

The Philippines fisheries bureau has accused China’s coastguard of firing water cannon and sideswiping a Filipino government vessel during a research voyage in the disputed South China Sea.

The Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources condemned on Thursday what it said was the “aggressive interference” of the Chinese coastguard against the Datu Sanday and a second ship during the incident on Wednesday.