On Sunday (25th), another clash occurred between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed waters. On Monday (26th), the Philippine Defense Minister stated that China’s actions in the South China Sea were “aggressive, unprofessional, and clearly illegal.”
The Philippine Defense Minister, Gilberto Teodoro Jr., told reporters, “We must anticipate these behaviors from the Chinese side because this is a competition.”
“We need to be prepared, anticipate, and get used to this kind of behavior from the Chinese side. As we have repeatedly stated, these actions are clearly illegal,” he said.
The Philippine Navy’s South Sea Task Force reported that a Chinese vessel collided with a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries ship near Sabina Shoal on Sunday. The Chinese vessel allegedly used water cannons to attack the Philippine ship carrying food, fuel, and medical supplies for Filipino fishermen.
The Chinese Coast Guard claimed that the Philippine ship “ignored repeated serious warnings, deliberately approached, and collided” with the Chinese enforcement vessel, leading to the collision.
When asked if the recent events would trigger the obligation under the US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty, Teodoro stated, “That would be putting the cart before the horse. We want to deter armed attacks, which is the more important thing.”
“Everyone is too focused on armed attacks,” Teodoro said. “Let’s make ourselves strong enough so that armed attacks will not happen.”
President Biden and US officials reiterated Washington’s “unwavering commitment” to the Philippines, expressing dedication to assisting the Philippines in responding to armed attacks on its vessels and soldiers in the South China Sea.
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comments.
After months of standoffs, Sunday’s clash has cast a shadow over efforts to manage the South China Sea dispute.
China claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, a claim contested by countries including the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Brunei.
In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal ruled that Beijing’s claims lacked legal basis under international law, but Chinese authorities refused to accept the decision.
This is the third clash between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea region within a week.
Last Saturday (24th), the Philippines stated that one of its fisheries bureau aircraft was threatened with illuminating projectiles launched from China’s Subi Reef base during a routine patrol in the South China Sea on August 22nd. The Philippines demanded China to “immediately cease all provocations and dangerous actions.”
On August 19th, the Philippines and China accused each other of ship collisions and dangerous operations in the South China Sea on the same day.
The Philippines claimed that two of its coast guard ships were conducting a resupply mission to personnel stationed on two islands when they “encountered” what they described as “illegal aggressive actions” by Chinese vessels near Sabina Shoal.
(This article contains references to reports from Reuters)