MANILA — A Chinese warship’s attempt to cross in front of a Philippine Navy vessel in the West Philippine Sea is unprecedented, a military spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The Chinese ship shadowed and came as close as 350 yards when it attempted to cut off BRP Benguet during a resupply mission near Pag-asa Island on Friday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said.

“Based on the report, the shadowing is a usual occurrence already, but the crossing of the bow is something new. In a way, that is an elevation of what they’ve been doing before,” AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said.

The government "know[s] how to deal with that situation", he said.

“For us, we support the strategy of the government to pursue peaceful means in resolving conflict. What we do in the AFP is provide information that we get from our maritime patrols, at the same time, to show our firm resolve that we are ready to protect what is ours,” Aguilar told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

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Aguilar said the Philippine Navy issued consecutive radio challenges to the Chinese ship, which respond by citing the “ten-dash line”, an extended version of Beijing's nine-dash line that it uses to stake its claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, including parts of Philippine waters.

In the end, the Chinese vessel changed its direction, and BRP Benguet successfully delivered fresh provisions to troops at the Rizal Reef Station.

“They are still happy with what they are doing. They are in high morale because despite the challenges, they were able to accomplish their mission,” Aguilar said.

China on Monday asserted its sovereignty and defended its presence near Pag-asa Island, which it calls Zhongye Island.

“The Philippine side’s illegal occupation of Zhongye Island has seriously violated China’s sovereignty,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. “It is reasonable and lawful for Chinese warships to patrol the waters near Zhongye Island.”

But Aguilar stressed China’s territorial claims have long been invalidated by the 2016 arbitration ruling.

“Ang kanilang sinasabi is according to what they know and believe, but there is already the arbitral court that says that their claim for territory in those areas that are not subject for appropriation has no basis at all. So, the 2016 arbitral award invalidates their claim. It can no longer be subject to a debate,” Aguilar said.

Even without the ruling, China’s dangerous maneuvers towards the Philippine vessel still endangered the lives of maritime personnel onboard, he added.

“If we focus our discussion on what happened during the mission, it is very clear. First, they shadowed our vessel to as close as 80 yards. Second, they tried to cross the bow of our ship, which could lead to an accident. How do you describe those actions? For us, these actions are irresponsible and unprofessional,” Aguilar said.

“That is not allowed because there is a convention, a regulation that is supposed to be followed by every navigator to prevent collision at sea.”

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