BEIJING: Philippine ships sustained serious damage Monday in pre-dawn collisions with Chinese vessels near a disputed reef, Manila’s coast guard said, as Beijing steps up efforts to push its claims in the South China Sea.

China and the Philippines have had repeated confrontations in the waters in recent months, including around a warship grounded years ago by Manila on the contested Second Thomas Shoal that hosts a garrison. Beijing has continued to press its claims to almost the entire South China Sea despite an international tribunal ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

On Monday both countries said that their coast guard ships had collided near the disputed Sabina Shoal, located 140 kilometres (86 miles) west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometres from Hainan island, the closest Chinese landmass.

Manila said it 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.