BEIJING (AP) — Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannon on Sunday, blocking and ramming a Philippine fishing vessel in the disputed South China Sea, where hostilities are taking place between the Asian neighbors. have flared up alarmingly at sea and spread into the air in the last few weeks.

China and the Philippines have blamed each other for tense sea clashes off Sabina Reef, which has become a new flashpoint. Both countries have deployed coast guard vessels there on suspicion that one of the parties might take steps to take over the uninhabited atoll.

The Chinese coast guard said it took action against a Philippine ship that entered waters near Sabina and ignored warnings, resulting in a minor collision.

Chinese Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said the Philippine vessel approached the Chinese Coast Guard vessel in an “unprofessional” and “dangerous” manner, causing the two vessels to collide. The Philippine vessel had Journalists on board to take pictures that “distort the facts,” he said.

“The responsibility lies entirely with the Philippines. We strongly warn the Philippine side to stop the attacks and provocations immediately, otherwise it will have to bear all the consequences,” Gan said, without elaborating on the control measures taken by the Chinese side.

A Philippine government task force said a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel, the BRP Datu Sanday, en route to Sabina, “was subjected to aggressive and dangerous maneuvers by eight vessels of the People’s Republic of China,” resulting in engine failure and hampering the vessel’s efforts to supply diesel, food and medicine to Filipino fishermen.

The Chinese coast guard vessels, supported by a naval vessel, “conducted dangerous maneuvers that resulted in the ramming of the BFAR vessel, sounded horns and used water cannons against it,” endangering the crew, according to the Philippine task force monitoring the territorial dispute.

“The Philippine government calls on the People’s Republic of China to stop these provocative actions that endanger regional peace and security,” the task force said, adding that the Philippines would continue to stand up for its rights.

The United States expressed support for the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia. U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said in a statement posted on X that China’s actions were “unsafe, unlawful and aggressive” and had “disrupted a legitimate Philippine mission and put lives at risk – the latest in a series of dangerous actions.”

China is rapidly expanding its military and is increasingly assertive in pursuing its territorial claims in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. The tensions have led to more frequent confrontations, especially with the Philippinesalthough the long-standing territorial disputes also affect other claimants, including VietnamTaiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

The latest incident came days after Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels collided near the disputed Sabina Reef, known as “Xianbin” in Beijing and “Escoda” in Manila. Two Philippine ships were damaged in the collision on Monday, but there were no reports of injuries.

Sabina Shoal is located about 140 kilometers west of the Philippine province of Palawan in the internationally recognized exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

Sabina is located near the Second Thomas Reef, another hotspot where China has been hampering supplies to Philippine forces aboard a long-ground naval vessel. Last month, China and the Philippines reached an agreement to prevent increasingly hostile conflicts on the Second Thomas Reef.