China and the Philippines have blamed each other for a series of collisions at sea in the contested South China Sea, with Manila lodging a protest with Beijing and demanding an investigation.
The accusations follow a series of collisions between Chinese and Philippine patrol vessels at Recto Bank, an area in the resource-rich South China Sea where Manila claims sovereign rights.
In a note verbale sent to the Chinese Embassy in Manila, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs accused a Chinese fishing vessel of colliding with a Philippine boat and abandoning 22 Filipino fishermen in open water as their vessel sank on June 9.
China disputed the Philippine version of events, saying its own investigation showed the incident was caused by a Philippine fishing vessel illegally entering Chinese waters. Beijing further maintained that a Chinese fishing boat responded and provided assistance to the Filipino fishermen.
The incident has raised tensions over the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which more than $3tn in goods pass each year. Islands in the sea, which are also claimed by Vietnam and other countries, have become the focus of rising diplomatic and military tensions in recent years.
