Philippine and Chinese vessels collide at Second Thomas Shoal, injuring one sailor

A Chinese coastguard boat approached the grounded Philippine warship BRP Sierra Madre at Second Thomas Shoal on Monday and struck one Philippine sailor on the head with a wooden baton, the Philippine military said. The sailor sustained head injuries during the clash after China’s coastguard stated that two Philippine boats ignored warnings before ramming one of its patrol vessels first.

Beijing summoned the Philippine ambassador in response.

Second Thomas Shoal lies within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone and roughly 1,000 km from mainland China. Manila maintains the outpost on the BRP Sierra Madre despite Beijing's demands for its removal. China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea.

Foreign ministers from Southeast Asia, including China’s Wang Yi, met in Manila the same day for talks expected to address maritime tensions. The United States condemned the actions as dangerous and aggressive. "China’s troubling pattern of provocation against lawful Philippine maritime operations undermines regional peace and stability and directly contradicts China’s repeated commitments to resolve disputes peacefully," a State Department spokesperson said.

A 2016 arbitration ruling under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which China has ratified, upheld Philippine rights at the shoal. China did not participate in those proceedings.