A Chinese coast guard ship used a powerful water cannon on Sunday then rammed and slightly damaged an anchored Philippine government vessel off an island inhabited by Filipinos in the disputed South China Sea, the Philippine coast guard said.

There were no injuries among Filipino crewmen of the BRP Datu Pagbuaya, part of the fisheries fleet that provides support to Filipino fishermen.

The Chinese coast guard targeted Pagbuaya off the Philippines-occupied Thitu island in the latest flare-up of the long-simmering territorial disputes involving Manila, Beijing and four other governments.

A Chinese Coast Guard vessel fires its water cannon at the Philippines’ BRP Datu Pagbuaya near Thitu island, locally called Pag-asa island, in the South China Sea on Oct. 12, 2025. AP

The Chinese coast g

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