A Philippine ship and a Chinese vessel collided near the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea on Monday, Beijing’s Coast Guard said.

Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, brushing aside competing claims from several Southeast Asian nations including the Philippines and an international ruling that its stance has no legal basis.

China deploys coast guard and other boats to patrol the waters and has turned several reefs into militarised artificial islands. Chinese and Philippine vessels have had a series of confrontations in disputed areas.

It “approached the… Chinese vessel in an unprofessional way, resulting in a collision”, the statement said.

Beijing accused the ship of having “illegally broken into the sea near Ren’ai Reef in China’s Nansha Islands”, using the Chinese name for the Spratly Islands.

“The Chinese Coast Guard took control measures against the Philippine ship in accordance with the law,” it added.

China Coast Guard vessels have used water cannon against Philippine boats multiple times in the contested waters.

The Group of Seven bloc on Friday criticized what it called “dangerous” incursions by China in the South China Sea.