Chinese coast guard vessels, backed by navy ships, fired powerful water cannons and blocked and sideswiped a Philippine patrol vessel Wednesday in renewed aggression in

The latest dispute in the controversial waters follows China’s submission of nautical charts to the United Nations, drawing a baseline "territorial waters" around the prime fishing patch of the Scarborough Shoal, which is a major flashpoint between the two.

The Philippines said the China Coast Guard fired water cannon and "sideswiped" a government vessel Wednesday during a maritime patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, after Beijing said it had "exercised control" over the ship.