The Philippine Coast Guard accused Chinese, that it blocked efforts to evacuate a sick member of the armed forces in the South China Sea, calling the actions "barbaric and inhumane," Reuters reported. and News.bg.
The incident happened last month, and the patient was a member of a small contingent of marines sent to guard the BRP Sierra Madre, a Philippine ship stranded on a disputed shoal that has been the site of repeated clashes with China over the past year.
Jay Tarriella, a Coast Guard spokesman explained that Coast Guard and Navy boats were harassed by Chinese vessels despite being informed that the operation was medical in nature.< /strong>
He said the Chinese coast guard "engaged in dangerous maneuvers and even deliberately rammed" naval boat while transporting the sick.
On June 4, Philippine Army Chief Romeo Browner said in a statement that the first attempt to transport the sick soldier to the western province of Palawan failed after they were blocked by the Chinese. However, the soldier was transported the next day with the help of the Coast Guard.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea - a channel that brings in more than $3 trillion a year in shipping trade. Beijing has deployed hundreds of coast guard vessels up to 1,000 km from the mainland, to to control what he believed to be his jurisdiction.
In the past year, there have been numerous clashes between the Philippines and China near disputed sites that fall within Manila's exclusive economic zone. China routinely accuses the Philippines of encroachment, while Manila and its allies have condemned what they call aggression by Beijing.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said China's claims had no legal basis. Beijing disagrees.