The Philippine Coast Guard reported a “confrontation” with Chinese ships that were carrying out “dangerous maneuvers” in the South China Sea. China’s foreign ministry said the Philippine ships had entered Chinese territorial waters. The ministry said that China’s coast guard had taken action to protect the country’s sovereignty. This is the latest in a series of incidents between China and the Philippines in disputed waters.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that between April 18 and 24, it recorded more than 100 “Chinese naval militia ships, corvettes of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy and two Chinese coast guard boats” in the exclusive economic zone Philippines in the South China Sea.
It also reported that one of the Chinese ships “performed dangerous maneuvers” within 150 feet (45 meters) of the Philippine ship. It added that two other vessels exhibited “aggressive behavior” posing a “serious threat to the safety of Philippine ships and their crews.”
Al Jazeera reported that one of the incidents occurred on April 21, when a Chinese coast guard ship “crossed course” with a Philippine coast guard ship about 13 kilometers off the island of Pag-asa. The crew of the Chinese corvette reportedly urged the Philippine vessel to keep clear of its path and warned that failure to comply could “cause a problem”. In a statement issued on Friday, the PCG said that its ships “did not withdraw and in response demanded respect for their rights to conduct operations in the territorial sea of the island of Pag-asa.” The island, otherwise known as Thitu, is claimed China and several other countries in the region. The island was occupied by the Philippines in the 1970s and is now inhabited by about 400 people.
The second incident occurred two days later near Second Thomas Shoal, a long-standing hotspot between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Philippine ships had entered Chinese territorial waters. The ministry said that the Chinese coast guard had taken measures to protect the country’s sovereignty.
“Confrontation” of Chinese and Philippine coast guard units in the South China Sea Aaron Favila/AP/East News
Joint maneuvers of the USA and the Philippines
A few days ago US and Philippine forces held joint exercises in the disputed South China Sea, during which they sank a decommissioned Philippine ship.
According to commentators, the greatest joint exercise USA and the Philippines have been a show of force for over 30 years in a context of tensions over China’s growing military activity in the region and its wide-ranging territorial claims.
The largest joint US-Philippine maneuvers in historyReuters
East Asia hotspot
The South China Sea is one of East Asia’s potential flashpoints. China claims almost all of this sea as its own territory, contradicting claims VietnamPhilippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan to individual areas of the reservoir.
In 2016, an international tribunal challenged China’s claims, but Beijing did not recognize the ruling.
Main photo source: Aaron Favila/AP/East News