ASEAN Beat | Security | Southeast Asia

Philippine Marine Injured in Clash With China Coast Guard at Disputed South China Sea Shoal

The two sides traded accusations over the confrontation at Second Thomas Shoal, a long-standing focus of maritime tensions between Manila and Beijing.

A still from a video released by the China Coast Guard, showing its personnel confronting Philippine Navy personnel at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, Jul. 20, 2026. The BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded warship that functions as the Philippine outpost at the shoal, can be seen in the background.

Philippine and Chinese personnel have exchanged physical blows during a confrontation near a contested shoal in the South China Sea, with the two sides again accusing the other of instigating the incident.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) stated yesterday that a Philippine Navy marine sustained a head injury after being struck with a baton by China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel during an encounter at Second Thomas Shoal.

In its statement, the AFP said a CCG rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) carrying eight personnel from vessel CCGV 21560 unlawfully approached within close range of the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded Philippine warship that serves as the Philippines’ outpost on the shoal.

The CCG boat reportedly circled the area while taking photos and videos, prompting two Philippine Navy rubber to “calmly and non-confrontationally” drive it away.

The Chinese personnel then “reacted violently and aggressively” by striking a Philippine marine on the head with a wooden baton, the AFP stated. The injured marine was then taken back to the BRP Sierra Madre to receive treatment. The incident also damaged one of the Navy’s rubber boats.

The AFP released a photo of the wound sustained by the marine, as well as a video, apparently shot from aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, that showed the CCG boat ramming the Philippine dinghy, and the personnel from both sides swinging oars and batons at each other.

The AFP said that the “aggressive actions” of the CCG “demonstrate a blatant disregard for safety, endanger the lives of our personnel, and escalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea.” The Department of National Defense issued its own statement asserting that the incident “adds to a clear pattern of provocative and hostile behavior, and further contributes to the People’s Republic of China’s deficit of trust and credibility.”

Unsurprisingly, the Chinese government has challenged this account. In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in Manila insisted that the CCG acted with “maximum rationality and restraint” while accusing the Philippines of spreading “false propaganda.” The CCG also put out its own statement, claiming that two rubber dinghies were launched “illegally” from the BRP Sierra Madre.

The Philippine vessels “ignored our repeated and explicit warnings, rapidly approached in a dangerous manner and rammed the Chinese patrol vessel from the front,” the CCG said. During the incident, Philippine personnel “first used tools such as oars and long sticks to maliciously attack Chinese law enforcement officers.”

In an attempt to substantiate its version of the story, the CCG released several videos showing two rubber boats driving out from the Sierra Madre to confront the Chinese RHIB. In the videos, Philippine personnel wave the Chinese boat off with oars, while CCG personnel brandish batons in........

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