Philippines says China Coast Guard fired water cannon; Beijing calls Manila’s accusations “bogus”

Philippines accuses China of firing water cannon and sideswiping vessel in disputed South China Sea clash.

China's coast guard accused the Philippines of making "bogus accusations" after Manila said it had fired water cannon and "sideswiped" a Philippine government vessel in the disputed South China Sea on Wednesday.

The Philippine vessel "turned at a great angle and reversed, deliberately colliding" with a Chinese ship, a statement read, adding that Manila had "later deliberately distorted the truth and made bogus accusations in an attempt to mislead international understanding".

The Philippines said the China Coast Guard fired water cannon and “sideswiped” a government vessel Wednesday during a maritime patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, after Beijing said it had “exercised control” over the ship.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing off rival claims from other countries -- including the Philippines -- and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Vessels from the two sides have clashed frequently in the past year, resulting in injuries and damages.

Tensions flared again on Wednesday, with Manila releasing a video appearing to show a Chinese coast guard hitting the right side of fisheries department vessel BRP Datu Pagbuaya, with the crew shouting, “Collision! Collision!”.

The Chinese ship “fired a water cannon... aiming directly at the vessel’s navigational antennas”, the Philippine coast guard and fisheries ministry said in a joint statement.