Two Chinese naval vessels, a China Coast Guard (CCG) cutter and a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 052D-class guided missile destroyer, collided on 11 August 2025 in a bizarre incident involving a Philippine Coast Guard vessel in the South China Sea near Scarborough Shoal.
Footage of the incident filmed from Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) patrol vessel BRP Suluan (MRRV-4406) shows the vessel being pursued by CCG cutter 3104 as it attempts to water cannon the Philippine vessel. The PLAN Type 052D-class destroyer Guilin (164) then cuts across the stern of BRP Suluan, leading the CCG cutter to ram head on into the PLAN destroyer.
While the Chinese destroyer appeared to suffer moderate gouging on its port side, several metres of the CCG cutter’s bow section were entirely stoved in.
BRP Suluan, along with sister vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701), had at the time been escorting Philippine fishing vessels in support of the Kadiwa Operation: a Philippine government-led initiative designed to support and empower fishing communities in the country’s western exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
In response to the incident the Philippine Department of National Defense described the Chinese actions as “atrocious and inane behaviour” and pledged its support for the Philippine Coast Guard personnel operating in the South China Sea.
This was not the only incident of Chinese vessels harassing Philippine shipping as Beijing pushes to expand a claimed exclusion zone in the region. While Scarborough Shoal is a maritime feature located within Manila’s EEZ, China also claims the feature under its ten-dash line assertion, which claims most of the South China Sea: a claim that has been rejected by a United Nations Law of the Sea tribunal.
However, China up to now has typically pressed its claims using CCG vessels, so this latest incident involving a PLAN destroyer could potentially signal an escalation.
