China Rammed Philippine Ship—54 Nautical Miles Inside Manila’s Waters
Beijing’s coastguard vessel CCG-21585 deliberately rammed a Philippine fisheries ship delivering fuel to Filipino.
The BRP Datu Magat Salamat was on a humanitarian mission, distributing fuel to Filipino fishermen operating within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. “Let us be clear about what this vessel was doing: it was bringing fuel to Filipino fishermen so they can keep fishing in our own waters and keep food on Filipino tables. China Coast Guard deliberately rammed a civilian government vessel on a humanitarian and livelihood mission, endangering the lives of its Filipino crew.".
China’s Coast Guard spokesperson, Jiang Lue, offered a starkly different account. Beijing claimed the Philippine vessel “intentionally adjusted its course and accelerated” to cut across the bow of the Chinese ship at a distance of just no especificado, forcing the Chinese vessel to take evasive action.
Just the day before, on September 17, the BRP Datu Magat Salamat had run aground at Half Moon Shoal, requiring assistance from the Philippine Coast Guard.
Diplomatic Fallout: From Seoul to The Hague: south china sea
The incident is the latest in a series of clashes that have tested the Philippines’ policy of restraint. Ten days earlier, on September 8, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. was delivering a speech at a defence conference in Seoul when a Chinese military attaché handed him a note demanding he stop speaking. Teodoro, who was discussing the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that invalidated China’s Nine-Dash Line claims, read the Chinese message aloud to the audience and called it “actual coercion, bullying and aggression.”
The 2016 ruling, issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, found that China’s claims to historic rights within the Nine-Dash Line had “no legal basis” under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). China has rejected the ruling, despite citing UNCLOS in its criticism of the Philippines following the BRP Datu Magat Salamat incident.
Teodoro’s defiance in Seoul was met with applause from the audience and has fuelled speculation about his political future. He has previously drawn China’s ire; in June 2026, Beijing sanctioned Teodoro, his wife, and his child, barring them from travel to China or dealings with Chinese organisations.
Under the Horizon 2 modernisation programme, initiated in June 2018, the Philippine Navy has commissioned two Miguel Malvar-class frigates, including the BRP Diego Silang in December 2025. Hyundai is building six offshore patrol vessels for the navy, two of which are already undergoing sea trials in South Korea. Japan has offered to transfer six Abukuma-class multi-role frigates, while Indonesia’s PT PA is constructing two 124-metre landing dock platforms for the Philippine Navy.
The Philippines has also strengthened its alliances with nations affected by China’s Nine-Dash Line claims. In May 2026, Manila and Tokyo conducted a live-fire test of a SSM-700K C-Star ground-launched anti-ship missile off Luzon. The U.S. Marine Corps’ 12th Marine Littoral Regiment participated in Exercise Balikatan 26, firing MLRS and Naval Strike Missiles alongside forces from Australia, Canada, France, and New Zealand. For the first time, the Philippines has also engaged in dialogue with Taiwan over the disputed claims.
The ramming of the BRP Datu Magat Salamat is unlikely to be the last confrontation in the South China Sea. With both sides digging in, Manila asserting its rights under international law and Beijing rejecting the 2016 ruling, the stage is set for further clashes. The next move may well come from the international community, as allies weigh how to respond to China’s increasingly aggressive tactics in the region.
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