Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticised dangerous actions in the contested South China Sea after the Chinese Coast Guard rammed a Philippines vessel, sparking counterclaims from China that the smaller nation was at fault.

It follows a backflip by the Pacific Islands Forum, a bloc of 18 countries including Australia, to remove a reference to Taiwan from an official communique after Chinese complaints, showing the superpower’s growing influence in the region.

Saturday’s ramming incident was the fifth confrontation between China and the Philippines in a month as China asserts its claim over most of the crucial trade route, including sections claimed by nations including Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Philippines Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela displayed footage of a Chinese ship that “directly and intentionally rammed the Philippine vessel” without provocation, and revealed damage to the 97-metre Philippines ship. Nobody was injured in the incident.

Australia, the UK and US criticised China’s behaviour.

“We need nations in the South China Sea to recognise the international law of the sea requires safe navigation there,” Albanese said at a press conference on Sunday. “I’ll get a full briefing about it but there shouldn’t be dangerous activity because it comes at great risk.”

Albanese’s call for restraint comes days after he secured a $400 million deal at the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) to fund policing in Pacific nations where China and the US are competing for influence.

A communiqué released at the end of last week’s forum included a segment on “Relations with Taiwan/Republic of China”, sparking the ire of Chinese officials who claim the democratic island as Chinese territory.