Beijing has quietly confirmed the deaths of two Chinese sailors in a collision in the contested South China Sea, according to government statements nearly a year after the incident.

Last August, a Chinese navy vessel collided with one from its own coast guard while chasing a Philippine patrol boat near a disputed shoal, video footage released by Manila showed.

The incident happened on 11 August 2025, near Scarborough Shoal after China Coast Guard vessel (CCG 3104), while chasing the Philippine Coast Guard patrol ship BRP Suluan at high speed, made what Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela called a “risky maneuver” that put it into the path of a much larger People’s Liberation Army Navy ship.

The two Chinese vessels collided with a loud crash while chasing the Philippine patrol boat, resulting in substantial damage to the CCG vessel and rendering it unseaworthy.

The confrontation occurred while Philippine Coast Guard personnel were distributing aid to Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal.

Before the collision, video showed a Chinese coast guard vessel tailing the Filipino patrol boat and firing its water cannon before the Chinese navy warship cut in front of it.

The footage was released by Manila and showed the China Coast Guard ship and the much larger navy vessel colliding with a loud crash; additional footage later showed the stricken Chinese vessel still afloat but with its bow crumpled inward.

Beijing acknowledged a confrontation but was evasive about the collision itself. The Chinese coast guard acknowledged the confrontation but did not refer to any collision, instead accusing the Philippines of intruding under the “pretext” of supplies and saying it acted in a “professional, regulated and lawful” manner.