China injured sailor in sea clash: Philippine military

In this photo taken from video by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, China coast guard personnel, left, on a rigid hull inflatable boat chases Philippine naval personnel aboard a rubber boat at the Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, in the disputed South China Sea, Monday. AP-Yonhap

MANILA — The Philippine military accused China's coast guard of clubbing a Filipino sailor with a baton on Monday as they approached a grounded vessel that has long served as a Philippine garrison in the disputed South China Sea.

News of the incident came just hours after the Philippine foreign ministry said the two countries' top diplomats would meet at a regional summit in Manila this week.

The Philippines said in a statement a Chinese rigid-hull inflatable boat carrying eight men had circled and taken photos and video of the BRP Sierra Madre, which sits on the flashpoint Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly archipelago.

China claims almost the entirety of the crucial waterway despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, and has frequently clashed with Philippine vessels in the area.

The latest clash in the crucial waterway took place after two rubber boats were sent to drive away the Chinese group, the Philippine statement said.

"The (Chinese) personnel reacted violently and aggressively by striking a Philippine Navy personnel on the head with a wooden baton, causing injury and damaging the Navy rubber boat," the statement said.

The Chinese coast guard said in a statement that it had taken "reciprocal countermeasures" and issued "verbal warnings" in response to two rubber boats that were sent from the grounded Philippine vessel.

"Disregarding repeated, clear warnings from our side, these boats rapidly approached the Chinese patrol boat in a dangerous manner, attempting to encircle and ram it," the statement said.

The Philippine defence department said in a separate statement the encounter added "to a clear pattern of provocative and hostile behavior" by the Chinese coast guard.

The Chinese statement said that "the Philippine side distorted the facts and falsely accused China in a complete reversal of the truth."

In June 2024, Chinese law enforcement personnel armed with knives, sticks and an axe attacked Filipino troops attempting to resupply a Philippine garrison on Second Thomas Shoal.

The two sides said a month later they had reached a provisional deal on resupply missions to the Sierra Madre, which was grounded to assert Manila's claims to the reef.

Monday's clash comes on the heels of an ongoing war of words between China and the Philippines over their South China Sea claims.

Manila filed a diplomatic protest on Friday over a "racist" video posted by Chinese state media in which the Philippines was portrayed as a cartoon monkey.