China injured sailor in sea clash: Philippine military

MANILA — The Philippine military accused China's coast guard of clubbing a Filipino sailor with a baton on Monday as they approached a grounded vessel that has long served as a Philippine garrison in the disputed South China Sea.

News of the incident came just hours after the Philippine foreign ministry said the two countries' top diplomats would meet at a regional summit in Manila this week.

The Philippines said in a statement a Chinese rigid-hull inflatable boat carrying eight men had circled and taken photos and video of the BRP Sierra Madre, which sits on the flashpoint Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly archipelago.

China claims almost the entirety of the crucial waterway despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, and has frequently clashed with Philippine vessels in the area.

The latest clash in the crucial waterway took place after two rubber boats were sent to drive away the Chinese group, the Philippine statement said.

"The (Chinese) personnel reacted violently and aggressively by striking a Philippine Navy personnel on the head with a wooden baton, ...