This screenshot from a Philippine government video purports to show Filipino and Chinese vessels coming dangerously close in the South China Sea on Oct. 11, 2024. (Philippines Bureau of Fisheries)

Philippine and Chinese government vessels collided last week in the South China Sea, according to officials from both nations, the most recent skirmish involving competing claimants to territory in the strategic waterway.

The collision occurred Friday near Thitu Island, part of the Spratly group, during a patrol by two vessels with the Philippines Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, according to a bureau news release.

The 92-acre island, which is claimed by Beijing along with almost the entire South China Sea, is 300 miles west of Palawan and part of the Philippines’ Palawan province.

A Chinese maritime militia vessel “conducted dangerous maneuvers” and tried to block the path of a Philippine vessel before deliberately sideswiping it and causing minor dents to the bow, according to the Philippine release.

Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry, told reporters Tuesday that the Philippine vessel was sailing dangerously in waters under Beijing’s jurisdiction and collided with a fishing boat, according to remarks posted on the ministry’s website.

“The behavior violates China’s sovereignty and gravely threatens the safety of Chinese fishing boats and crew,” she said.

The clash is the latest in a series involving vessels from the two nations in the South China Sea.

The countries’ coast guards collided Aug. 31 at Sabina Shoal, where Philippine authorities allege a Chinese vessel rammed a Philippine ship three times.

Beijing and Manila had agreed to ease mounting tensions at another flashpoint, Second Thomas Shoal, where Filipino marines man an outpost on a grounded, rusting warship.

The U.S. military is open to consultations about escorting Philippine ships in disputed waters, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel Paparo, told reporters Aug. 27 in Manila.