Philippine vessels faced 'blocking, shadowing and dangerous maneuvers' from Chinese navy and coast guard ships, the Philippines said

People’s Liberation Army Navy warships and China Coast Guard cutters fired water canons and rammed a Philippine maritime patrol near Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday in the latest spat between the two countries in the South China Sea.

China has blocked four Philippine vessels that attempted to "intrude into the territorial waters" of the disputed Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday, the country's coastguard said. "On December 4, four Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels attempted to intrude into the territorial waters of China's Huangyan Island and came dangerously close to the normal law enforcement and inspection vessels of China's coastguard,

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

The Philippines accused the China Coast Guard of firing water cannons and “sideswiping” a Philippine government vessel on 4 December during a maritime patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, escalating regional tensions.

Chinese incursions at Scarborough Shoal and Pag-Asa Shoal (Thitu Island) in the Philippines expose legal warfare over Philippine claims in the South China Sea.

Chinese coast guard vessels, backed by navy ships, aggressively confronted Philippine patrol vessels near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. The Philippine Coast Guard reported that the Chinese ships fired water cannons at the vessels,

A Chinese coastguard fired a water cannon at a PCG vessel, said a PCG spokesman. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The Philippines said the China Coast Guard fired water cannon and "sideswiped" a government vessel Wednesday during a patrol in the disputed South China Sea.