China says it rescued 'personnel' after Philippines collision

BEIJING — China's coast guard said it rescued Filipino "personnel" who fell overboard Sunday after a Philippine vessel collided with one of its ships near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

The two nations have had repeated confrontations in the waters in recent months, and on Saturday Manila accused China of recently twice firing flares at one of its patrol aircraft.

China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said Sunday's collision occurred when a Philippines vessel refused to comply with "control measures" near Xianbin Reef in the Nansha Islands -- using the Chinese names for the Sabina Shoal and the Spratly Islands also claimed by Manila.

It then "deliberately collided" with a Chinese Coast Guard ship, CCTV quoted Gan as saying, adding China had "promptly rescued the Philippine personnel who fell into the water".

It was unclear if "personnel" meant one or more people, and no further details were given.

"China warns the Philippines to immediately cease its infringing actions, otherwise the Philippines will bear all consequences resulting from this situation," Gan warned.

On Saturday the Philippines accused China of firing flares at one of its aircraft earlier this month as it patrolled the South China Sea. 

On Monday both countries also reported a collision between their coast guard ships near the disputed Sabina Shoal, located 140 kilometres west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometres from Hainan island, the closest Chinese landmass.

Manila said that was the first hostile action by Beijing against it near Sabina, where both sides have stationed coast guard vessels in recent months and where the Philippines fears China is about to build an artificial island.

China claims almost the entire sea and has ignored an international tribunal ruling that its assertions have no legal basis. 

It deploys boats to patrol the busy waterway and has built artificial islands that it has militarised to reinforce its claims.