Manila has accused China of engaging in ‘unlawful and risky’ actions in the fiercely disputed South China Sea, resulting in two collisions, prompting the summoning of Beijing’s ambassador.
Following the incidents involving Chinese and Philippine-owned vessels, Teresita Daza, a spokesperson for the Philippine foreign ministry, stated that Manila was “making full use of diplomatic processes” and had called the Chinese ambassador on Monday morning. The latest in a series of naval clashes between the two nations in the South China Sea, the collisions happened early on Sunday and prompted the United States, which has a mutual defense agreement with the Philippines, to denounce China.
The incidents occurred about 25 kilometers from Second Thomas Shoal, where a warship purposefully ran aground decades ago to highlight the Philippines’ rights in the sea. The Philippines accused China’s coast guard of engaging in “dangerous blocking maneuvers” that led to the collision with a Philippine resupply boat. The Philippines has consistently charged China with attempting to obstruct its resupply missions, citing the site as a specific hotspot. The crew of the Philippine boat was put in danger by the Chinese vessel’s “provocative, irresponsible, and illegal action,” according to the National Task Force of the Philippines. In another incident, a “Chinese Maritime Militia vessel” “bumped” a Philippine Coast Guard vessel that was accompanying a regular resupply trip, according to the Philippine military.
The Philippine boat was accused by China of “deliberately” causing difficulties by reversing into a Chinese fishing vessel in a “premeditated manner.” One of Manila’s boats was damaged by China’s operations, but no one was hurt, according to Jonathan Malaya, the spokesperson for the Philippine National Security Council, during a news conference on Monday. The extent of the damage is currently under evaluation by the Philippine Coast Guard. “The fact that there were no injuries to Filipino personnel gives us great relief and gratitude. However, we find the increasing tensions and provocations from Chinese ships, which have no right to remain in the West Philippine Sea, to be concerning,” Malaya stated.
Almost all of the South China Sea is claimed by China, even though a UN tribunal determined that this assertion had no legal foundation. The canal is also claimed by the Philippines and other nearby nations and is one of the busiest trade routes in the world, believed to contain substantial natural gas and oil reserves. The Philippines has made allegations against China, claiming that China’s actions in the South China Sea are marked by recklessness and aggression.
If these incidents were to escalate, there is a concern that the United States, which is an ally of the Philippines, could find itself in a confrontational situation with China. After the events that took place on Sunday, the US State Department pointed fingers at China, alleging that they were involved in “dangerous and unlawful actions.” They also reaffirmed that their mutual defense agreement with Manila extends to “armed attacks on Philippine military forces, government ships, and aircraft, including those operated by the Coast Guard, throughout the entire South China Sea.”
Several Western nations expressed their concerns. Luc Véron, the EU’s ambassador to the Philippines, called the “repetition and intensification” of occurrences like the collisions on Sunday “dangerous and very disturbing.” The Canadian embassy in the Philippines declared that “continuous acts of intimidation and coercion undermine safety, stability, and security across the region and increase the risk of miscalculation,” branding China’s activities as “unjustified.”
In February, Manila claimed that China had pointed a military-grade laser at a Philippine vessel, while in August, Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons at a Philippine resupply operation that attempted to provide supplies to troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal. Second Thomas Shoal is more than 1,000 kilometers away from Hainan Island, the nearest substantial landmass belonging to China, and it also lies outside the 200-mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.
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