Beijing uses strongest language yet to describe South China Sea confrontations with Manila in footage aired by CCTV.<\/b>
\nChina has for the first time released a video showing its coastguard towing away a Philippine ship in the South China Sea, using its strongest language yet to describe such confrontations with Manila in the disputed waters.
In the video released by state broadcaster CCTV on Friday morning, the Chinese coastguard documented a tense six-minute confrontation at the Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Renai Jiao. The incident ended with the \u201cinfringing vessel being towed away\u201d, according to the Chinese coastguard.
It was the first time Beijing has mentioned towing Philippine ships while describing its clashes with Manila in the contested waterway. While confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coastguard vessels and fishing boats in the South China Sea are common, Chinese authorities described previous incidents as involving \u201ccontrol measures according to law\u201d.
According to the new footage, a battle alarm sounded early on a summer morning \u2013 though the year and date are not specified \u2013 and Chinese coastguard vessel 21551 received orders to intercept and prevent a foreign ship from entering waters near the Second Thomas Shoal.
The video shows unidentified personnel splashing an unknown liquid and brandishing what appears to be an M16 rifle. A voice is heard shouting, \u201cThey\u2019re splashing something! They\u2019ve taken out a gun, there\u2019s a gun, there\u2019s a gun!\u201d Chinese coastguard personnel stood their ground, with one officer yelling back, \u201cCome at me!\u201d
A Chinese officer interviewed in the video reflected on the danger, saying, \u201cThe gun was fully loaded \u2026 whoever is afraid of death will lose\u201d.
The footage was part of a preview for a five-episode military documentary series titled Assault: Committed to Building a World-Class Military, celebrating the 98th anniversary of the founding of the People\u2019s Liberation Army (PLA) on August 1. The full programme will air on Friday evening.<\/p>\n