Philippines claims China fired water cannons at its vessels

The Philippines say that China used water cannons to stop three of its boats in a disagreement over who owns land in the South China Sea.

A video shows Chinese ships spraying strong blasts of water at Philippine government boats.

The Philippines said that China’s actions were against the law and were aggressive.

The South China Sea is a place where China, the Philippines, and other countries are arguing about who owns it.

The event occurred close to Scarborough Shoal, which is a place where there is often tension between the two countries. In 2012, Beijing took control of the shoal and Chinese boats have been bothering Philippine fishermen there ever since.

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea reported that Chinese Coast Guard ships used water cannons to stop government boats from bringing fuel and food to fishing boats.

The agency strongly disapproves of the illegal and aggressive actions.

Beijing said it had taken action to control ships that entered its waters without permission.

Earlier this week, the Philippines said that China sent a lot of military boats to a reef near their coast in the South China Sea.

The Philippines will send 40 boats with Christmas gifts and supplies to people on Thitu island, the biggest island they live on in the South China Sea.

The two countries have been arguing more since Ferdinand Marcos Jr became president of the Philippines last year. They both claim to own the same land.

Last month, the Philippines worked together with the US and Australia to do two air and sea patrols.

In 2016, a global court said China’s claim to 90% of the South China Sea is not valid. But China doesn’t agree with the decision and has been making islands in the area where other countries also say it’s theirs.

The disputed waters are causing tension between China and the US. In October, US President Joe Biden said that the US will protect the Philippines if there is an attack.

President Biden talked about the collisions between boats from the Philippines and China that happened a few days ago.

Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei say that they also own parts of the sea.