Philippines accuses Chinese coast guard of shooting water cannon at Filipino boats

The Philippines accused the Chinese coast guard on Saturday of using water cannons to “obstruct” three government boats delivering provisions to Filipino fishermen near a reef off its coast.

The incident happened near the China-controlled Scarborough Shoal, a flashpoint between Manila and Beijing, which claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea.

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said in a statement that “Chinese Coast Guard ships utilized water cannons to obstruct and prevent” government vessels from delivering fuel and food supplies to fishing boats.