China and Philippines blame each other over South China Sea medical mission

China and the Philippines have traded accusations over a medical evacuation near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, as Manila reports a near-doubling of Chinese military and coastguard vessels around contested South China Sea features in September.

The latest exchange centred on the evacuation on Thursday of an injured Filipino serviceman from the BRP Sierra Madre, a Philippine naval vessel grounded on Second Thomas Shoal decades ago.

Known as Renai Jiao in China and Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines, the shoal is one of the region’s most contested flashpoints.

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Philippines accuses China of firing a water cannon at its vessels for a second day

The Philippine Coast Guard on Thursday accused China Coast Guard vessels of obstructing the emergency evacuation, including by using a water cannon in an apparent attempt to block a Philippine patrol ship from reaching the shoal to retrieve the injured serviceman.

The incident delayed the mission by nearly 10 hours and forced the Philippine vessel to withdraw for safety reasons, although the water cannon did not hit the ship, according to Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela.