Chinese ships filmed colliding after chasing Philippine patrol boat

A Chinese naval ship has collided with one of the country's coast guard vessels while chasing a Philippine patrol boat, dramatic video footage shows.

In the video, released by Manila officials, a China Coast Guard ship and a much-larger vessel, reportedly a Type 052D Destroyer, carrying the number 164 on its hull, crashed into each other in the South China Sea. Both ships engaged in 'aggressive' behaviour, according to the Philippines Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela.

He said: "The (China Coast Guard vessel) CCG 3104, which was chasing the (Filipino coast guard vessel) BRP Suluan at high speed, performed a risky manoeuvre from the (Philippine) vessel's starboard quarter, leading to the impact with the PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy warship."

The Scarborough Shoal, a triangular chain of reefs and rocks where the incident took place, has seen several disputes emerge between China and the Philippines since Beijing seized it in 2012. Both countries, and Taiwan, claim ownership of the land.

Philippines Coast Guard's Tarriela added that the collision "resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel's forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy."

A Chinese coast guard spokesperson noted Monday's confrontation but failed to mention the collision, stating: "The China Coast Guard took necessary measures in accordance with the law, including monitoring, pressing from the outside, blocking and controlling the Philippine vessels to drive them away."

The South China Sea is also at the centre of multiple territorial disputes, with Beijing claiming almost the entirety of the sea despite an international ruling that there was no legal basis to do so.

More than 60 per cent of the world's maritime trade passes through the disputed waterway, making it a key strategic point in the case of a wartime scenario.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos pledged that the nation's patrol vessels would "continue to be present" in the area to defend, as well as execute Manila's sovereign rights over what it considers to be part of its territory.

Additional footage on social media appears to show significant damage to both Chinese vessels, with a gaping hole in the warship and a crumpled focsle for the coast guard, on which several sailors were seen moments before the collision.

The Philippines Coast Guard also contends that its ship was "targeted with a water cannon" by the Chinese but "successfully" evaded it.

It is not yet known if any significant injuries have been sustained from the confrontation.