The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported a recent incident of "close distance manoeuvring" by a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel in the disputed South China Sea that "constrained" the movement of a Philippine ship sailing nearby.
The March 2 incident took place during Philippine maritime patrol operations around the Scarborough Shoal, locally known as Bajo de Masinloc, the PCG said, when it reported the incident on Sunday.
It was yet unclear whether the Philippines had lodged a diplomatic protest for the incident.
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The PCG said it had to wait for the go-signal from the country's National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea before making the incident public.
The incident involved a Chinese Coast Guard vessel with bow number 3305 that conducted close distance manoeuvring over an area of approximately 19 metres in the direction of Philippine vessel BRP Malabrigo, the PCG said.
"This constrained the manoeuvring space of BRP Malabrigo - a clear violation of the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea," the PCG said.
The PCG had asked the country's Department of Foreign Affairs to help address the issue through "rules-based and peaceful approaches," according to the PCG commandant, Admiral Artemio Abu.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
China lays claim to most of the waters within a so-called Nine Dash Line in the South China Sea, which is also contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
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Admiral Abu said it was the fourth reported incident of close distance manoeuvring involving Chinese Coast Guard and Philippine vessels in the Scarborough Shoal since May last year.
Despite the risks, Abu said the deployment of Philippine assets and personnel to waters within the country's exclusive economic zones would continue.
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