Philippines Hits Back at China's 'Propaganda' in South China Sea Dispute

China's claim that it chased off a Philippine gunboat in the South China Sea is mere propaganda, a Philippine official has said.

In the latest episode in the ongoing tit-for-tat over the sea's disputed waters, the Chinese coast guard asserted on Tuesday that one of its vessels had driven a Philippine naval ship away from Scarborough Shoal, a feature that has been a focal point of the maritime feud between the two countries, after warning it to turn back.

General Romeo Brawner, who heads the Armed Forces of the Philippines, told the media later that day that while one of the country's ships had indeed been patrolling near the shoal, it had not been chased away but had stayed its course unfazed.

"It did not stop, nor did it change direction. It continued on its mission," he said, adding that the two vessels had not been in close proximity.

The latest incident, or non-incident, harkens back to when China claimed to have driven the USS Benfold out of waters around the Paracel Islands, which are claimed by both China and Vietnam. The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet rebuffed the claim, saying the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer had carried out its mission "in accordance with international law and then continued on to conduct normal operations in international waters."

China has frequently reported ejecting U.S. Navy ships on "freedom of navigation operations" from waters it claims jurisdiction over, Harrison Prétat, associate director and associate fellow with the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, told Newsweek.

By asserting they chased away a Philippine ship, "Chinese authorities are projecting an image of strength to domestic audiences and attempting to demonstrate to foreign audiences, especially in the Philippines and United States, that it controls and can regulate activities in these areas," he said.

Prétat added that while the risk has been higher in recent months, he believes a serious clash is still unlikely. Neither the Philippines nor China is looking for an armed confrontation over South China Sea reefs, though "both sides have increased their risk tolerance and adopted new tactics to deter the other from actions seen as encroaching on their maritime areas."

The issue is the latest in a growing list of grievances between the Philippines and its giant neighbor.

In September, the Philippines' coast guard announced it had dismantled a nearly 1,000-foot-long barrier China had set up to block off Philippine fishermen from traditional fishing grounds. Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos of the Philippines' Western Command vowed to remove any additional obstructions China might erect.

Beijing hit back by warning its neighbor not to make "provocations."

China's coast guard has been accused of employing water cannons against Philippine supply boats en route to restock marines stationed at Second Thomas Shoal, another feature contested by China.

Beijing claims all that lies within its "nine-dash line," which includes most of the South China Sea, as its sovereign territory. This puts it in conflict with the territorial claims of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

A Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitrations in 2016 ruled in Manila's favor and repudiated the nine-dash-line, but China has ignored the ruling and even expanded the scale of the self-imposed boundary.

Should relations between Beijing and Manila deteriorate to the point of conflict, the U.S. is obligated to come to the Philippines' aid under a mutual defense treaty.

Update 10/13/23, 03:13 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Harrison Prétat.