The Philippines and China have issued competing statements about the latest confrontation in the South China Sea, with one Philippines solder reportedly losing a thumb.

Shoal way home

On Jun. 17, members of the Armed Forces of Philippines, primarily from the Navy and Coast Guard, faced off against China's Coast Guard (CCG) near the Second Thomas Shoal, reported the BBC, quoting Philippines military commander General Romeo Brawner.

The Second Thomas Shoal, known as the Ayungin Shoal to the Philippines and Ren Ai Jiao to China, is one of several disputed islands and sea features in the South China Sea.

China claims the Second Thomas Shoal, as it does large swathes of the South China Sea.

The Second Thomas Shoal is located just under 200 kilometres from the Philippines' Palawan Island, and  is within the Philippine's 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone.

According to Reuters, in 1999 the Philippines ran a vessel aground on the reef, the BRP Sierra Madre, in order to strengthen its claim to the Second Thomas Shoal.

The vessel has a contingent of AFP personal onboard, necessitating regular supply missions to bring them rations and other essentials.

Grounded vessel

On Jun. 17, during a resupply mission, several rigid hull inflatable boats operated by the AFP were confronted by boats from China's Coast Guard.

The BBC quoted Brawner, who is the AFP chief of staff, as accusing China's vessels of ramming the AFP's boats.

He also claimed that China personnel boarded the Philippine boats and seized weapons.

It was also reported that an AFP soldier had lost a thumb after his vessel was rammed.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed on Jun. 19 that the Filipino vessels had "again ignored warnings" and "deliberately intruded" into waters claimed by China.

PH claims the vessels are there to send daily supplies but secretly they’ve been trying to ship construction materials to the grounded warship and even weapons&munition to seek long-term occupation of Ren’ai Jiao.

— Spokesperson发言人办公室 (@MFA_China) June 19, 2024

It further accused the Philippines of hiding its intentions, saying that while the Philippines claims the resupply missions were to send "daily supplies", they were "secretly" sending construction materials, weapons, and munitions.

The BRP Sierra Madre has been said to require significant upkeep to maintain its position, otherwise it would "crumble", leaving the shoal unoccupied, and potentially allow China to stake a claim, as was reported by the Guardian in October 2023.

Construction materials could delay that outcome indefinitely.

With axe also

On Jun. 19, the AFP released pictures and videos purportedly showing the confrontation by the two sides.

The videos show AFP vessels close to what appears to be the Sierra Madre, surrounded by Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels.

In one, a CCG member can be seen brandishing what appears to be an axe, pointing it at AFP personnel.

CCG personnel violently attached ropes to tow the AFP's RHIB while threatening to injure an AFP soldier w/ a pickaxe. They also employed blaring sirens to create chaos, disrupt communication, and divert the attention of AFP troops, exacerbating the hostile & dangerous situation. pic.twitter.com/a8cPaGGH8j

— Armed Forces of the Philippines (@TeamAFP) June 19, 2024

The videos show a chaotic scene, with men yelling and sirens blaring, as well as a CCG vessel using a strobe light.

The CCG continued its relentless harassment of AFP troops through a series of aggressive actions. pic.twitter.com/EvevDjSyPQ

— Armed Forces of the Philippines (@TeamAFP) June 19, 2024

Pictures released by the AFP also show damage to one of the boats that it said was caused by CCG members wielding swords.

The CCG was also accused of using tear gas and ramming AFP vessels, in addition to the sirens and strobe lights, which exacerbated "the hostile and dangerous situation", as reported by Philippines media Rappler.

Bare hands and professionals

In a social media post by the AFP on Jun. 19, Brawner was quoted as saying that AFP personal had fought back with "everything they had".

Resupply missions to the Sierra Madre are typically unarmed, and Brawner lauded his soldiers' courage:

"The Chinese Coast Guard personnel had bladed weapons, and our personnel fought with bare hands," he said.

A spokesperson for China's MFA denied that Chinese personnel were responsible for injury to the Philippines soldier, and described the CCG's actions as "professional and restrained".

The incident comes weeks after a speech by president of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

On May 31, Marcos Jr. said any confrontation that resulted in the death of a Filipino citizen would be "very, very close" to an act of war.

And while there have been no deaths yet, China and the Philippines appear to have moved a step closer.

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Top image via Armed Forces of the Philippines/Facebook & @XHNews/X