Manila, Philippines–The Philippines said the China Coast Guard fired water cannon and “sideswiped” a government vessel Wednesday, December 4, 2024, during a maritime patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal,

Tensions between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea escalated last month when Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos signed two laws defining the country's sea waters and imposing fixed lanes for foreign ships.

China’s coast guard said on Monday that it had taken “necessary control measures” against an “illegal gathering” of Philippine vessels in disputed waters of the Iroquois reef in the South China Sea. A number of Philippine ships have in recent days “illegally” gathered in the waters of the reef in the Spratly Islands under the banner of