Hand to Hand Combat Between Chinese, Philippine Soldiers in South China Sea

A fight with fists and oars occurred between members of the Chinese  Coast Guard (CCG) and Philippine soldiers in the area of the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, during which the parties collided each others boats and fought with oars and poles.

China claims that the Philippine side was the first to take action in the area of the shoal and rammed the patrol boat. At the same time , the Philippines accuses Chinese law enforcement officers of attacking its servicemen.

A video released by the CCG shows around 10 of is masked members intercepting a small Filipino boat with around 4 soldiers heading towards an abandoned vessel which serves as monitoring post in an area the Chinese government claims as its own.

 The boat is seen intercepted by a larger boat carrying CCG members who immediately start hitting the Filipino personnel with fisticuffs and oars to which the Filipino personnel responded in kind. After a short while, the boats disengage and the Filipino boat move away at a fast pace.

The CCG said that one of Filipino soldiers was wounded Filipino soldier for humanitarian reasons.

The Philippine side denied the accusations and calls China's statements false, claiming that its military did not start the conflict.

Diplomatic incident

The Philippines and China summoned each other's ambassadors on Tuesday following a clash at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, which sparked condemnation of Beijing by Manila's allies.

The Philippine military accused the China Coast Guard of clubbing a Filipino sailor with a baton on Monday as they approached a grounded vessel that has long served as a Philippine garrison.

"The Philippine side provoked first, yet it has turned the blame upside down, distorted the facts, and maliciously hyped the issue," Beijing's foreign ministry said in a statement.