China Accused of Using Sonic Weapon Against US Ally

China's maritime patrol ships deployed a suspected sonic weapon against Philippine government vessels on Saturday as they sought to obstruct a Philippines supply mission.

The assault using unspecified "acoustic devices" allegedly inflicted "severe temporary discomfort" on Philippine crew members, Manila said, and was accompanied by sustained water cannon blasts as well as maneuvering that risked a collision.

The incident happened near Scarborough Shoal, one of the most contentious features in the Philippines and China's long-running territorial feud in the South China Sea since the latter achieved facto control there in 2012 by force.

China continues to block Philippine fishermen from accessing traditional fishing grounds at Scarborough Shoal, while the Philippines says it is their right to fish there under international law. Philippine fisheries bureau boats were attempting to deliver humanitarian supplies, including food and fuel, to the waiting fishermen.

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Ships belonging to China's paramilitary maritime militia fleet engaged in unsafe maneuvers and "deployed what is understood to be a long-range acoustic device" against the government vessels, the multi-agency National Task Force of the West Philippine Sea said Saturday. The weapon incapacitated some of the affected crew, it said.

Sometimes known as "sonic cannons," acoustic devices have been adopted as non-lethal defensive weapons by a number of militaries, as well as crowd control tools by some police forces. Acoustic weapons can cause ear pain, and experts have warned of the potential for permanent hearing loss.

Although it appeared to be the first time an acoustic weapon had been allegedly used against the Philippines, in February, Manila accused a Chinese coast guard ship of temporarily blinding a Philippine ship's crew with a military-grade laser. The U.S. and Australian governments have also accused Chinese boats of engaging in this and other unsafe behavior in recent years.

The Philippine Coast Guard didn't respond to Newsweek's request for comment by publication time.

The U.S. State Department, which said China's use of the sonic weapon showed a "reckless disregard for the safety and livelihoods of Filipinos," didn't respond to a request seeking further details about the nature of the acoustic devices.

The Philippine government ships, carrying "oil subsidy and grocery packs" to more than 30 Philippine fishing boats, were intercepted by Chinese forces around 2 nautical miles from Scarborough Shoal—which Manila calls Bajo de Masinloc and Beijing calls Huangyan Island.

Recordings of the confrontation showed Chinese coast guard ships deploying water cannons—said to have been used at least eight times—resulting in "significant damage" to one ship's navigation and communications systems, according to the task force's statement.

The task force accused China of using maritime law enforcement powers in contravention with international law, and of harassing and intimidating fishermen. It demanded Beijing end its "aggressive activities" and actions that threaten the Philippines' sovereignty and fishermen's livelihoods.

"Whatever China is fighting for to illegally occupy these waters, the Filipinos need to fight for these waters because our life depends on it," Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela wrote in a social media post Saturday.

Chinese state-backed media outlet the Global Times on Sunday said the three fisheries agency ships had "intruded into waters adjacent to China's Huangyan [Island]," and that their movements were "restricted by the Chinese coast guard in accordance with the law."

A second confrontation occurred on Sunday near another hotly disputed South China Sea feature—Second Thomas Shoal—as Chinese ships sought to head off the Philippines' latest supply mission to a grounded warship where a group of sailors are based.

Chinese coast guard ships again engaged their water cannons. Manila said the attacks damaged a coast guard patrol boat and disabled the engine of one supply boat, which was towed back to port.

A minor collision also occurred when a Chinese coast guard vessel allegedly maneuvered into the path of another Philippine supply boat, although the latter managed to continue on its mission.

The task force pointed to a 2016 ruling by an arbitral tribunal at The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, which stated China was violating Filipinos' traditional fishing activities at Scarborough Shoal.

The court also ruled that China's activities inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone were in violation of the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

China's Foreign Ministry on Monday repeated Beijing's long-standing position that the ruling was invalid.