China Coast guard tries to blast Filipino boat with water cannon

This is the tense moment a China Coast Guard ship tried to blast a Filipino civilian vessel with a water cannon in the South China Sea.

Video shows the vessel attempting to fire a high-pressure stream at two Philippine boats in the disputed Panatag Shoal on October 8.

The water failed to reach the smaller ships from the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

In a statement, BFAR said: 'Notwithstanding the dangerous maneuvers and opening of water cannons, both BFAR vessels were able to resupply the Filipino fisherfolk in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc.'

The department added that three Chinese Coast Guard ships and a military navy vessel had shadowed the BFAR's boats.

The incident came a week after Vietnamese fishermen were allegedly attacked and beaten by Chinese forces in the South China Sea.

Philippine officials said a record 251 Chinese vessels were located in the West Philippine Sea following the departure of the BRP Teresa Magbanua, the largest ship in the PCG's arsenal, from the Escoda Shoal on September 15. The Filipino crew had endured weeks with barely any food and water after Chinese vessels allegedly blocked Philippine resupply missions.

Expansionist China has disputes with nearly all of its neighbours as it 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.