In the contested waters of the West Philippine Sea, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel struck a Philippine civilian ship carrying food and fuel to Filipino fishermen near Palawan, tearing into its hull and leaving both nations with sharply different accounts of who bears responsibility. The collision of the BRP Datu Magat Salamat with CCG-21585 is not merely a maritime incident but a collision of competing sovereignties — one grounded in international arbitration, the other in historical assertion. Manila invoked the law of the sea; Beijing invoked consequence. In the space between those two languag
DFA condemns China Coast Guard ramming of Philippine humanitarian vessel
No injuries reported, but the incident endangered civilian crew members aboard the Philippine vessel.