The incident, in which Beijing claimed it had expelled a number of vessels from the area, was the latest in a series of confrontations between the two countries in the South China Sea.
Here is what we know about the incident so far.
Which vessels were involved?
Two Philippine coastguard vessels – the BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Suluan – were in the area escorting the government-owned fishing carrier MV Pamamalakaya and 35 local fishing vessels as part of a government initiative to support fishing communities.
The coastguard said its ships were also delivering fuel and other supplies to the fishing boats at the time.
The Philippine coastguard said its ships were confronted by the China Coast Guard (CCG)’s cutter 3104 and a PLA Navy Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, the Guilin.
It added that the two vessels collided around 10.5 nautical miles (19.5km) east of the Scarborough Shoal, a reef that has seen numerous confrontations between the two sides.
