The Chinese ship came as close as 45m (146ft) to the Malapascua's bow due to the "sudden and really very dangerous manoeuvre", said the Philippine ship commander, Rodel Hernandez. The Sierra Madre is beached on the Second Thomas Shoal The Chinese ship blocked the way and refused to budge, forcing the Malapascua to turn off its engine to avoid a collision. The BBC witnessed the high seas chase playing out on relatively calm turquoise waters from a second Philippine ship, the Malabrigo, roughly one kilometre away.Įventually the Chinese ship caught up with the Philippine boat, and it became clear that the latter could not outmanoeuvre a vessel more than twice its size. "China has long used tactics like shadowing, but now, because of the media, the whole world gets to see it," said Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesman of the Philippine Coast Guard.Īt dawn on 23 April, the Filipino crew noticed how the Chinese ship that had been shadowing their vessel Malapascua increased speed, as shown by the thick black smoke from its exhaust. Beijing, on the other hand, accused the Philippines of intrusion into Chinese waters. A glimpse into China's playbookĬhina made "highly dangerous manoeuvres" at Second Thomas Shoal and Filipino officials were well within their authority to routinely patrol the area, the Philippines foreign ministry said. This came on the heels of the US gaining access to key Philippine military bases, many of which face Taiwan. When the stand-off happened, the US and the Philippines were in the final days of their largest ever war games. There are also competing claims by Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan. The Philippine Coast Guard said it had invited journalists to join their routine patrol in the hotly-contested waters for the first time to witness China's actions for themselves.Ĭhina claims almost the entire South China Sea, including the Spratlys, which is also claimed in part by the Philippines. Throughout the 1,670km (1,038-mile) journey of two Philippine Coast Guard ships over six days, news cameras captured how - on cue and in specific locations - Chinese ships would shadow or tail the Filipinos, and send them radio warnings to leave or face "consequences". And it happened the day after Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr met Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Manila, and expressed hope for open communication lines on the South China Sea dispute. The BBC witnessed the tense encounter near Second Thomas Shoal in the remote Spratly archipelago last Sunday - a move that Manila says is straight out of Beijing's playbook. A Chinese Coast Guard ship blocked a Philippine patrol vessel in the South China Sea, causing a near collision in waters where Beijing's vast claims have alarmed the US and its allies.
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