Beijing says Philippine coastguard staged South China Sea near-collision for the benefit of journalists

China has accused the Philippines of staging a near-collision between two coastguard vessels in the South China Sea for publicity.

The near-miss happened on Sunday – a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang visited Manila – when two Philippine ships engaged in a weeklong patrol of Philippine held territory approached the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, known in China as Renai Reef.

Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, said the incident had been staged for the benefit of a group of foreign journalists on board one of the Philippine ships.

Rodel Hernandez, the captain of the Philippine patrol boat BRP Malapascua, said a Chinese vessel about twice the size of his ship had made a sudden manoeuvre to block his approach to the reef.

He said he had been forced to abruptly change course and then turn off the engine to avoid a collision with the Chinese coastguard vessel, which came within 36 to 46 metres (118-150 feet) of the bow.

Reporters watching from the second boat, about a kilometre away, said the incident had happened after a series of warnings from the Chinese side telling the two ships to leave the area.

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The Philippine side had invited a small group of journalists to join the two ships on their 1,670km patrol for the first time as part of a new strategy of highlighting what it views as China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea.

But Mao said the incident was the fault of the Philippine vessels, which had intruded into the Chinese waters without permission and “made deliberate, provocative moves by closing in on a Chinese coastguard vessel”.

She said the Chinese ship had been acting to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and maritime order in accordance with the law and its manoeuvres had been “professional and restrained”.

The ship “adopted timely measures to dodge the Philippine vessels when they dangerously closed in on it”, she told a scheduled press conference on Friday.

“It needs to be stressed that the Philippine vessels intruded into the waters with press staff on board. This makes it clear that it was a premeditated provocation designed to initiate friction, blame it on China and hype up the incident,” she said.

There has been a string of incidents near the Philippine-held reef, which is also claimed by mainland China, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The uninhabitable submerged coral bank lies in the eastern Spratly Islands, one of the most contested areas of the South China Sea and scene of regular confrontations between China and the Philippines.

It is only 14 nautical miles (26km) from the Mischief Reef, a Chinese-controlled atoll that hosts one of the largest military bases in the disputed waters.

In May 1999, the Philippine Navy intentionally stranded a retired landing ship BRP Sierra Madre on the shoal, and has since maintained a detachment of marines on the vessel to defend its claims.

As a result, the Chinese coastguard frequently patrols the nearby waters, trying to prevent the resupply of these Philippine marines and triggering regular confrontations.

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In February, President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr summoned Beijing’s ambassador to protest after a Chinese ship was accused of using a military-grade laser against a Philippine vessel during a resupply mission that temporarily blinded crew members.

A day before the latest incident, Qin and Marcos agreed to set up more communication channels to manage disputes in the South China Sea.

Additional reporting by Associated Press