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Nicola Smith, The Telegraph’s Asia Correspondent, was onboard a Philippine Coast Guard ship accompanying fishermen near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Tuesday when her vessel was attacked by the China Coast Guard

I was standing on the deck of a Philippine Coast Guard shipwhen a Chinese vessel opened fire with its water cannon.

The powerful jets of water initially looped into the air – but within seconds they had begun to batter our craft, pounding down on the stern of the ship.

There were moments of chaos: Filipino crew members dived for cover, screaming instructions to each other…