Manila accused a China Coast Guard vessel of colliding with a Philippine resupply vessel in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, strongly condemning the actions as "dangerous, irresponsible and illegal,” in the latest close encounter in the flash point waterway.

The incident occurred near the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Island chain, as the resupply vessel made its way toward a Philippine garrison that sits atop a World War II-era warship purposefully grounded in the area, which is also claimed by Beijing.

In a statement, the Philippine government task force overseeing the South China Sea issue said the "dangerous blocking maneuvers of China Coast Guard vessel 5203 caused it to collide with the Armed Forces of the Philippines-contracted indigenous resupply boat" about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from Second Thomas Shoal.

In a separate incident, the task force said a Philippine Coast Guard vessel escorting the resupply mission 12 km from Second Thomas Shoal had been “bumped” by what it said was a ship belonging to China’s maritime militia, a force of vessels ostensibly engaged in commercial fishing but which also operate alongside Chinese law enforcement and military ships to achieve political objectives in contested waters.

Video taken by the Philippine military and posted to social media showed both incidents, part of a campaign by Manila to publicize its encounters with the Chinese side in the South China Sea.

The China Coast Guard said in a terse statement Sunday that it had blocked Philippine vessels from “delivering illegal construction materials to the illegally grounded warship ... in accordance with the law.”

CCTV, China's state-run broadcaster, reported later Sunday that the Philippine Coast Guard vessel had "ignored multiple clear warnings" and "deliberately stirred up trouble and reversed in a premeditated manner," leading to a "slight collision."

Ultimately, a second resupply boat was able to reach the Philippine garrison and "successfully resupply our troops and personnel” stationed there on the shoal, the Philippines statement said.

China has appeared to allow at least some resupply missions to proceed, but has drawn the line at letting ships carrying materials that would help fortify the garrison to pass without attempting to block them.

The garrison on Second Thomas Shoal, about 200 kilometers off the Philippine coast, was built atop a World War II-era vessel grounded on the shoal in 1999 and has served as a check on China’s moves in the waters. But troops stationed on the rusting garrison depend on regular resupply deliveries.

Sunday’s incidents were the latest in a series of incidents between the two sides that have intensified fears that their territorial disputes in the South China Sea could spark a larger crisis, including one that draws in the U.S.

The United States has emphasized that the 1951 U.S.-Philippines mutual defense treaty applies to “armed attacks on either nation's armed forces or public vessels anywhere in the South China Sea.”

A China Coast Guard vessel collides with a Philippine resupply vessel in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, in this image taken from video.
A China Coast Guard vessel collides with a Philippine resupply vessel in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, in this image taken from video. | PHILIPPINE ARMED FORCES

Earlier this month, a China Coast Guard vessel came within 1 meter (3 feet) of colliding with a Philippine Coast Guard ship, attempting to block it near Second Thomas Shoal. This followed reports of Chinese vessels venturing dangerously close and firing water cannons at Philippine government ships in recent months, as well as the use of a "military-grade laser" by the Chinese side against their Philippine counterparts.

Under its so-called nine-dash line, Beijing claims some 90% of the South China Sea — a position that flies in the face of a July 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidating most of those claims.

Beijing does not recognize the ruling, calling it “a piece of waste paper.”

China has conducted a massive land-reclamation project to essentially build and militarize a number of islands in the waters, despite protests from other claimants, as well as the United States and Japan. Washington and Tokyo fear that the Chinese-held outposts, some of which boast military-grade airfields and advanced weaponry, could be used to restrict free movement in an area that includes vital sea lanes.