This is the shocking moment a China Coast Guard boat rammed a Philippine navy vessel, injuring a Filipino soldier in the South China Sea.

Footage shows the China-flagged boat careening toward the Filipino vessel during the latter's routine resupply mission to a military outpost in Ayungin Shoal on June 17.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Chinese forces tried to board their boats while deploying tear gas, flourishing bladed weapons, hurling rocks, and blaring sirens to cause chaos.

One Filipino serviceman lost a thumb during the tense standoff.

AFP chief-of-staff Romeo Brawner Jr. said: 'This was the first time we saw the CCG bring blades, knives, and spears, which they used to destroy our RHIB. It was very clearly seen in the videos how the Chinese even threatened our personnel by pointing their knives at our personnel.

'Depsite this, our soldiers fought with their bare hands. You can see they were pushing the RHIB of the CCG away. They were preventing CCG from hitting them with their bolos, machetes, and other bladed weapons.'

He also likened the Chinese Coast Guard to 'pirates'.

Meanwhile, China has blamed the Philippines for the conflict, saying the CCG was 'professional and restrained and aimed at stopping the illegal ‘resupply mission'.

The latest clash comes following a new anti-trespassing directive issued by Beijing to arrest vessels that 'illegally enter China's territorial waters'.

Expansionist China currently lays claim over almost the entire South China Sea, one of the world's busiest sea lanes. But a United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 deemed its claims groundless.

The Communist rogue state - accused of genocide for its crimes against the Uyghur population - has been steadily increasing its influence in recent years through investment in developing countries.