# China fires water cannon at Philippine vessels at Scarborough Shoal for two consecutive days as ASEAN ministers meet in Manila > China's coast guard fired water cannon at Philippine government vessels near Scarborough Shoal on July 23 during a fishermen-resupply mission, then again on July 24, the third South China Sea confrontation in a week; the Philippines Coast Guard accused China of violating maritime safety rules on a humanitarian operation, and a CNN crew was aboard one of the vessels on the second day **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-07-23 · heads: 장기전, 그들이 말하지 않는 것 · 12 takes · 6 lenses · 5 regions ## Summary [China](/ko/entity/china)'s coast guard fired water cannon at [Philippines](/ko/entity/philippines) government vessels near Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc) on July 23 during a mission to resupply Filipino fishermen, then again on July 24, the third South China Sea confrontation that week. [Philippines](/ko/entity/philippines) reported no injuries or vessel damage from July 23. A CNN crew was aboard one of the Philippine vessels on July 24. China says it used "control measures"; Manila accuses Beijing of violating maritime collision-prevention rules during a humanitarian operation. [China](/ko/entity/china) launched military exercises near Hainan Island simultaneously. The back-to-back incidents coincided with ASEAN foreign ministers wrapping up their Manila summit. ## Why it matters Water cannon at [Scarborough Shoal](/ko/entity/south-china-sea) open a second active flashpoint alongside the simultaneous [Second Thomas Shoal standoff](/ko/n/china-ph-scs-second-thomas-0720), testing whether [Manila](/ko/entity/philippines)'s strategy of documenting and publicising each incident can generate international pressure while top-level diplomacy is under way in the Philippine capital. ## What to watch - Whether China continues water-cannon operations at Scarborough Shoal, which sits closer to the Philippine coast than Ayungin Shoal - Whether the US invokes or strengthens Mutual Defense Treaty language after US Secretary of State Rubio cited US Coast Guard assistance at Ayungin Shoal - Whether the ASEAN foreign ministers' communique includes specific language on Scarborough Shoal incidents ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### Philippine independent digital outlet; first report, no injuries confirmed - **Rappler** (Philippines, en) — Rappler's first report on the July 23 incident: the Philippines reported no injuries or damage, framing it as the latest in a series of tense encounters in both maritime and political spaces. Rappler notes the timing against high-level ASEAN events in Manila concluding the same day. > "Another Philippine mission to Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea is met with the China Coast Guard's water cannons just as high-level ASEAN events in Manila wrap up." Source: https://www.rappler.com/philippines/china-scarborough-shoal-encounter-july-23-2026/ ### Philippine business press; quotes PCG official directly on COLREGS violation - **BusinessWorld Online** (Philippines, en) — BusinessWorld's PCG official sourcing provides the legal framing: China's action violated international regulations preventing collisions at sea and endangered Filipino personnel conducting a humanitarian mission. This is the PCG's formal complaint language, not just political reaction. > "These actions violated the international regulations for preventing collisions at sea and endangered Filipino personnel engaged in a purely humanitarian undertaking." Source: https://bworldonline.com/the-nation/2026/07/23/765475/chinese-vessel-used-its-water-cannon-on-philippine-boat-at-scarborough-shoal-manila-says/ ### Malaysian regional press; Southeast Asian framing of the July 23 incident - **Malay Mail** (Malaysia, en) — Malay Mail covers the July 23 water cannon and a 'dangerous manoeuvre' accusation from Manila, framing the incident for a Malaysian and Southeast Asian readership that has its own stake in South China Sea legal norms. > "The Philippines accused China's coast guard of firing water cannon and using a 'dangerous manoeuvre' on Thursday to block vessels bringing aid to Filipino fishermen." Source: https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/07/23/china-fires-water-cannon-at-philippine-coast-guard-vessels-near-scarborough-shoal/228704 ### Greater China perspective; links Scarborough incidents to simultaneous Hainan military drills - **South China Morning Post** (Hong Kong, en) — SCMP's July 24 coverage notes both capitals trading blame on the second consecutive day of incidents; crucially adds that Beijing launched separate military exercises near Hainan Island simultaneously, a detail absent from most Philippine-sourced reports. > "China Coast Guard uses water cannon during maritime stand-off as Beijing launches military drills near Hainan Island." Source: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3361723/south-china-sea-beijing-and-manila-trade-blame-second-day-scarborough-shoal-clashes ### Arab world English daily; anchors the dispute in the 2016 international tribunal ruling - **Asharq Al-Awsat (English)** (Middle East, en) — Asharq Al-Awsat frames the July 24 incident as the third confrontation that week, reporting the resupply-fishermen context and Manila's accusation. It is one of the few reports outside Asia to note explicitly that an international ruling found China's claim to the shoal lacks legal basis. > "The incident at Scarborough Shoal, which took place during an attempt to resupply Filipino fishermen, came as top diplomats wrapped up a Southeast Asian regional forum in Manila. Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, including the flashpoint shoal, despite an international ruling that its assertion lacks any legal basis." Source: https://english.aawsat.com/world/5299560-philippines-says-ship-hit-chinese-water-cannon-disputed-reef ### unlabelled - **Manila Times** (Philippines, en) — Source: https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/07/24/news/national/china-coast-guard-fires-water-cannon-at-philippine-vessel-in-bajo-de-masinloc/2390548 - **Interaksyon / Philippine Star** (Philippines, en) — Source: https://interaksyon.philstar.com/politics-issues/2026/07/24/316816/china-says-used-control-measures-on-philippine-vessels-around-scarborough-shoal/ - **Philippine Star** (Philippines, en) — Source: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2026/07/24/2544357/rubio-cites-us-coast-guard-role-after-ayungin-baton-attack-filipino-sailor - **Manila Times** (Philippines, en) — Source: https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/07/24/news/chinese-ships-water-cannon-ph-vessels-in-territorial-waters-again-pcg-stands-pat/2390887 - **Rappler** (Philippines, en) — Source: https://www.rappler.com/philippines/china-water-cannon-bajo-de-masinloc-scarborough/ - **Philippine Star** (Philippines, en) — Source: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2026/07/24/2544374/watch-2-straight-days-china-fires-water-cannon-philippines-vessels - **CNN** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/24/asia/china-philippines-south-china-sea-scarborough-intl-hnk ## Across the graph - Related: [[china-ph-scs-second-thomas-0720]], [[scarborough-naval-standoff-june-2026]], [[south-china-sea-dossier]], [[asean-59th-amm-manila-0721]], [[hormuz-bab-mandeb-closure-0722]] - Entities: Philippines, China, South China Sea, Person:ferdinand Marcos Jr, United States --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/ko/n/ph-china-scarborough-0723