00:00 The Philippines has accused Chinese vessels of carrying out dangerous manoeuvres in a
00:18 disputed area of the South China Sea in the latest maritime flare-up between the two neighbours.
00:23 The Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement that it had been carrying out a routine rotation
00:28 and resupply mission near Ayungin Shoal, known in China as Renai Reef, when its vessels were
00:33 approached by eight Chinese boats.
00:36 It claimed that the Chinese boats jeopardised the safety of the crew members aboard the
00:41 Philippine vessels but did not detail how.
00:43 It claimed the incident had involved four Chinese Coast Guard vessels and four Chinese
00:48 maritime militia boats.
00:51 The incident comes just weeks after the Philippines accused Chinese Coast Guard ships of firing
00:55 water cannons at its vessels as they tried to resupply troops stationed on the same shoal
01:00 in the Spratly Islands chain, known in China as the Nansha Islands.
01:04 Marine security experts believe that Beijing controls a maritime militia, hundreds of vessels
01:09 strong that act as an unofficial and officially deniable force to push its territorial claims
01:15 both in the South China Sea and beyond.
01:17 The Philippines claimed that the militia has been involved in both of the most recent incidents
01:22 at Ayungin Shoal, which is also known as Second Thomas Shoal.
01:26 China on its part has never acknowledged that such a militia even exists.
01:31 Beijing claims indisputable sovereignty over almost all of the 1.3 million square miles
01:36 of the South China Sea as well as most of the islands within it.
01:40 That includes the Spratlys, an archipelago consisting of hundreds of small islands and
01:45 reefs also claimed in full or part by the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
01:52 During the most recent incident, the Philippine Coast Guard said it had reached out to its
01:56 Chinese counterpart and urged them to immediately cease any illegal activities within the maritime
02:01 zones of the Philippines.
02:03 In response to this latest confrontation, the Chinese Coast Guard also issued a statement
02:07 accusing the Philippines of unauthorized entry into the area.
02:17 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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