{ SCARBOROUGH SHOAL DISPUTE } NAVAL VESSELS OF BOTH COUNTRIES COLLIDED WITH EACH OTHER WHILE ASSERTING THEIR CLAIMS Amid maritime tensions with the Philippines, China sends aircraft carrier to SCS

China on Tuesday dispatched its new aircraft carrier 'Fujian' to the disputed South China Sea (SCS), amid growing maritime tensions with the Philippines over a disputed shoal leading to naval vessels of both countries colliding with each other to assert their claims.

- Press Trust of India

Fujian, the third aircraft carrier of the Chinese navy, has not yet been officially operationalised. It has sailed into the South China Sea for testing and training, with its construction progressing as needed, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

The deployment of the Fujian, the most advanced of the three aircraft carriers, comes after the China Coast Guard (CCG) on Tuesday alleged that a Philippine government vessel deliberately rammed into one of its ships in Scarborough Shoal, a disputed territory that both countries claim.

China calls the shoal Huangyan Dao. China has already deployed some of its biggest CCG vessels in the area to assert its claims.