China's coast guard said it had taken control measures against Philippine vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Saturday, while the Philippine coast guard decried the moves as "irresponsible and provocative.

The incident occurred in the Second Thomas Shoal and Spratly Islands waters, according to the Chinese Coast Guard. The shoal is home to a small number of Filipino troops stationed on a warship that Manila grounded there in 1999 to reinforce its sovereignty claims.

China Coast Guard used water cannon on resupply boat — AFP

Footage shared by the Armed Forces of the Philippines appeared to show people onboard a rubber boat installing floating barriers at sea, which the Philippines said came from the Chinese Maritime militia to seal off the entrance to the shoal.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including the Second Thomas Shoal, which is within the Philippines' 200-mile exclusive economic zone, and has deployed vessels to patrol the disputed atoll. A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration found that China's sweeping claims have no legal basis.

Can Manila diffuse tensions in the South China Sea?

(Production: Jay Ereno, Peter Blaza)