(Bloomberg) -- Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannons and tried to block two Philippine fisheries vessels delivering supplies to fishermen in the South China Sea, the latest incident amid elevated tensions between the two countries in the disputed waters.
The Philippine boats were conducting routine resupply mission to local fishermen near Scarborough Shoal early morning on Tuesday when three Chinese coast guard vessels and one navy vessel approached and shadowed their movement, the Southeast Asian nation’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said in a statement. The Chinese vessels then opened and directed their water cannons, it said.
Despite the “dangerous maneuvers and opening of water cannons,” both fishing vessels were able to resupply the Filipino fisherfolk in the vicinity of the shoal, it also said.
China Coast Guard, in a statement on Tuesday, said it tracked and took unspecified “control measures” on two Philippine ships as they sailed to waters near the Scarborough Shoal.
--With assistance from Phila Siu.
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