Chinese Coast Guard ship rams Filipino vessel thrice as territorial conflict mounts in South China Sea

The Chinese Coast Guard rammed a Philippine ship thrice as territorial tensions escalated in the South China Sea.

Footage captured by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows China Coast Guard vessel 5205 slamming into the BRP Teresa Magbanua, which was stationed in the disputed Escoda or Sabina Shoal on August 31.

The Chinese ship then reportedly circled around and struck the Filipino vessel twice more.

The incident occurred while the lone PCG ship was surrounded by an armada of China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels, Chinese maritime militia boats, and tugboats from the People's Liberation Army.

No PCG crew were injured, but the ramming left a huge hole on the hull of the BRP Teresa Magbanua - the largest ship in the PCG's arsenal.

In a press conference, PCG spokesman Jay Tarriela said: 'Despite the harassment, the bullying activities and escalatory action of the Chinese Coast Guard, the Philippine Coast Guard vessel Teresa Magbanua, or any other replacement of the vessel, there will be no reason for us to withdraw our coast guard vessels there.'

Maritime security expert Ray Powell, director of maritime transparency initiative Sealight, said: 'This is the first documented sighting of these vessels at Sabina Shoal to my knowledge. The idea that they may have been sent there to push the BRP Teresa Magbanua out of the shoal can't be discounted. If one of the large CCG ships were to disable it, the tugs could then push or tow it out of the shoal.'

The BRP Teresa Magbanua has been anchored in Escoda Shoal, just 70 nautical miles off the Philippine island of Palawan, since April.

CCG spokesman Liu Dejun blamed the PCG for the crash. He said: 'The Philippine ship 9701 deliberately rammed China's normal law enforcement vessel 5205 in an unprofessional and dangerous manner, causing the collision, and the responsibility lies entirely with the Philippine side.'

Several nations including New Zealand, Australia, the US, and Taiwan, have issued statements condemning China's 'dangerous actions'.

The ramming came two weeks after the CCG also damaged two other PCG ships in the contested waterway.

Expansionist China currently lays claim over almost the entire South China Sea, one of the world's busiest sea lanes. But a United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 deemed its claims groundless.

The Communist rogue state - accused of genocide for its crimes against the Uyghur population - has been steadily increasing its influence in recent years through investment in developing countries.