China issues chilling warning to US ally Philippines as tensions soar in South China Sea

China has warned the Philippines to "stop any provocative acts before it's too late" after a tense confrontation earlier this month near a disputed territory that both countries claim in the South China Sea.

China's coast guard accused a Philippine ship of deliberately ramming one of its vessels near Scarborough Shoal on September 16, a claim the Philippines denied.

"We warn the Philippine side to immediately stop any provocative acts before it's too late," Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said on Thursday.

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Following the clash, China said it deployed water cannons after more than 10 Philippine government ships entered the waters around the shoal.

The Philippine coast guard said two Chinese coast guard ships hit a Filipino fisheries vessel with powerful water cannons for nearly 30 minutes "resulting in significant damage" and injured a crew member.

The confrontation came a week after China declared it was designating part of Scarborough Shoal as a national nature reserve, prompting the Philippine government to file a diplomatic protest.

China said the aim was to protect a coral reef. But the Philippines denounced the move as an "illegitimate and unlawful action by China" that "clearly infringes upon the rights and interests of the Philippines."

"The Philippines urges China to respect the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the Philippines over Bajo de Masinloc [Scarborough Shoal], refrain from enforcing and immediately withdraw its State Council issuance and comply with its obligations under international law," the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said China's decision represented "yet another coercive move to advance sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea at the expense of its neighbors."

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The Scarborough Shoal is one of many South China Sea islands claimed by China and its neighbors, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

A Hague arbitration tribunal ruled in 2016 that Beijing's claim to 90 percent of the South China Sea had no basis in international law. China rejected the ruling.