Courtesy: National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS)

MANILA — Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea on Wednesday encountered "aggressive actions" from at least five Chinese ships, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

The agency said in a statement that the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) were conducting a routine maritime patrol near Bajo de Masinloc to support Filipino fishermen in the area when the aggression happened.

"During this operation, our vessels encountered aggressive actions from several Chinese Coast Guard vessels, specifically CCG 5303, 3302, 3104, as well as People's Liberation Army Navy vessels with bow numbers 500 and 571," PCG spokesperson on West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela said on X.

Tarriela said at around 6 a.m., a Chinese Coast Guard fired a water cannon at the BRP Datu Pagbuaya navigational antennas. He said the ship was 16 nautical miles south of Bajo de Masinloc when the hostility happened. 

After this, the same China ship "intentionally sideswiped the BRP Datu Pagbuaya," Tarriela said. 

The China ship launched a second water cannon attack on the same Philippine vessel, he added.

The official also reported that the PCG vessels, including the BRP Teresa Magbanua, "faced blocking, shadowing, and dangerous maneuvers from PLA Navy vessel 500 and CCG 503."

The BRP Cabra was also "subjected to reckless maneuvers by CCG 3104 at a distance of 300 yards."

Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Panatag and Scarborough Shoal, is located off Masinloc, Zambales, within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

China's coast guard said that Philippine coast guard ships came "dangerously close" to its own. 

"China exercised control over them in accordance with the law," a spokesman said.

Manila and Beijing have a long history of maritime territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea, with several collisions involving Filipino and Chinese vessels in recent months, as well as water cannoning by the China Coast Guard.

China has for years sought to expand its presence in contested areas of the South China Sea, including parts of the West Philippine Sea. 

It has built artificial islands armed with missile systems and runways for fighter jets, and deployed vessels that the Philippines says harass its ships and block fishing.

—with a report from Agence France-Presse