A China Coast Guard ship and a Philippine vessel collided in a disputed patch of the South China Sea on Sunday, the latest in a series of incidents fueling tensions between the two nations.

Gan Yu, a spokesperson with China’s coast guard, accused the Philippine ship of intentionally colliding with its vessel in waters near Xianbin Reef, better known in the Philippines as Escoda Shoal, state-run CCTV reported.

The Philippines blamed Beijing, saying its vessel was subject to “aggressive and dangerous maneuvers” from eight Chinese ships, including ramming and dousing by water cannons. None of the Philippines’ sailors were injured, according to a statement posted on social media by coast guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela.

“These unprofessional, aggressive and illegal actions posed serious risks to the safety of the Filipino crew and the fishermen they were meant to serve,” according to the statement from the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea.

Unconfirmed video posted on social media by a reporter with the Philippine Daily Inquirer appeared to show the Chinese vessel accelerating toward the BRP Datu and hitting it before pulling away. The Datu is carrying a contingent of reporters from the Philippines, local outlet Rappler reported.

China has taken an increasingly aggressive stance toward Philippine ships it accuses of entering waters Beijing says are its own, despite an international tribunal dismissing those claims in favour of Manila. After repeated incidents, including one in which a Philippines’ sailor was severely injured, the two nations have tried to enact a “provisional arrangement” to ease tensions in certain parts of the contested waters.

The Philippines has signalled it’s weighing whether to broaden the scope of that agreement, but the government has also warned that China’s actions undercut efforts to build confidence between the two sides.

  - Bloomberg