Chinese and Philippine Navies Clash in Disputed South China Sea

Sailors from the Chinese and Philippine navies faced off with oars and batons in the disputed South China Sea, with Philippine officials saying that one of its sailors suffered a head injury as a result of the altercation.

The latest confrontation took place on Monday near the Second Thomas Shoal, a contested area where the two countries have repeatedly clashed before. The Philippines keeps a military presence in the area aboard the grounded warship BRP Sierra Madre.

Manila said that Chinese Coast Guard personnel had assaulted Filipino sailors as they approached the outpost.

China quickly rejected this narrative. Beijing's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the "Philippine side provoked the incident first," by approaching the Chinese vessel in small rubber boats, but then "turned around ​and made counter-accusations, distorted the facts and engaged in malicious ​hype."

On Tuesday, China summoned the Philippine ambassador in Beijing to lodge its complaints, with the Philippines quickly following suit with the Chinese counterpart in Manila.

The Second Thomas Shoal is part of the Spratly islands, a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea.

The Spratlys are key to Beijing's claim of the entire South China Sea, a key global trade route. Beijing maintains its claim to the waterway despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that there is no legal basis to its argument.

China has repeatedly demanded the removal of the outpost on the BRP Sierra Madre, and surrounded the atoll with its ships in a tense territorial standoff that has dragged on for years.

The incident came just ahead of a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which was set to begin on Tuesday with foreign ministers of the eleven member states and external partners.

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who was in Manila for the summit, denounced Beijing on Tuesday for what she called "destabilizing and dangerous conduct" during the standoff.

Wong, during a visit to the headquarters of the Philippine Coast Guard, also announced a support package for the agency totaling 10 million Australian dollars ($6.7 million) for drone technology.

The US State Department also issued a statement criticizing China's actions, saying its "troubling pattern of provocations against the Philippines' legitimate maritime operations undermines regional peace and stability."

"We stand with our Ally, the Philippines, and commend the professionalism and restraint shown by Philippine navy personnel in this incident," the statement read.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the Philippine capital on Tuesday morning, and has indicated he was open to meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also attending the ASEAN summit.