WATCH: China Attacks Fishing Boat In Confrontation With U.S. Ally

Days after tensions rose between China and the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, the Chinese Coast Guard deliberately rammed a Philippine vessel in Philippine waters on Friday.

The Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel was on a fuel resupply mission for a fishing expedition approximately 54 nautical miles from the Philippine coast. The vessel suffered deck and railing damage but no injuries were reported.

The Chinese Coast Guard completed a series of dangerous maneuvers before “striking the BFAR vessel,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela said. The attack occurred within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone and represents the latest development in hostilities between the People’s Republic of China and the U.S. ally.

A Chinese Coast Guard spokesman claimed that the Philippine ship disregarded the “solemn warnings” of the Chinese Coast Guard and “cut across the bow of the Chinese Coast Guard vessel.”

“We sternly warn the Philippine side to immediately cease all acts of infringement and provocation; otherwise, it must bear all consequences,” the spokesman said.

China continues to claim exclusive rights to maritime areas belonging to U.S. allies along its so-called “nine-dash line,” which comprises approximately 80% of the South China Sea and is considered vital to U.S. national interests.

“China’s troubling pattern of behavior against the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries undermines regional peace and stability. It directly contradicts China’s repeated commitments to resolve disputes peacefully,” a State Department spokesman told The Daily Wire.

A 2016 ruling found that the waters where this latest provocation occurred belong to the Philippines. “The July 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling found that China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea have no basis in international law. That decision is final and legally binding on both China and the Philippines,” the State Department official said.

Two weeks ago, a conference in South Korea erupted when a Chinese military official sent a provocative letter to the Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro. The conference, which included several U.S. treaty allies in the region, erupted in applause after Teodoro slammed China.

President Donald Trump is set to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in the White House on Thursday.