China says Philippine personnel pointed guns at Chinese coast guard in WPS

BEIJING - Chinese state media said on Sunday that personnel on a Philippine ship pointed guns at China's Coast Guard in disputed waters of the South China Sea last month.

At least two personnel on the Philippine vessel near the shoal were carrying guns on deck, pointing them in the direction of China's Coast  Guard, CCTV said in a social media post.

An accompanying  29-second video appeared to show a masked man momentarily holding up a blurred black object that resembled a rifle.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the  Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Permanent  Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China's claims had no legal basis.

CCTV said the alleged incident occurred during a Philippine mission to supply troops.

Philippine troops are stationed aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, which was run aground on the Ayungin Shoal, also known as the Second Thomas Shoal, in 1999.

Philippine supply missions to the Sierra Madre had been harassed by Chinese vessels, with water cannons being fired and rammings taking place.

The  Philippine Navy, Coast Guard, and National Security Council, as well as the country's embassy in Beijing, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, in a speech on Friday attended by China's defense minister, made a thinly veiled reference to Beijing, denouncing what he called illegal, coercive, and aggressive actions in the South China Sea, which were undermining  Southeast Asian countries' a vision for "peace, stability and prosperity" in the sea.

Confrontations between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea have grown more tense and frequent during the past year, including China's Coast Guard using water cannons and accusations by Manila that it had rammed Philippine vessels. — Reuters