Washington has rebuked Beijing following another collision between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels, marking the latest flashpoint in the long-running territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
“The United States stands with its ally, the Philippines, and condemns the dangerous and escalatory actions by the People’s Republic of China against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the vicinity of Sabina Shoal,” U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement on Saturday.
The collision was the latest of several confrontations near contested Sabina Shoal in August, followed an agreement between China and the Philippines in early July to de-escalate tensions. However, conflicting interpretations of the agreement have led to further confrontations.
The U.S. emphasized that China is asserting sovereignty over areas “where no land territory exists” and warned that its “increasingly aggressive actions” threaten the freedom of navigation and overflight for all nations. Miller also reaffirmed that the 1951 U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty covers attacks on Philippine vessels “anywhere in the South China Sea.”
Duan Dang, a maritime security analyst in Vietnam, considers China’s actions represented “an attack in plain sight.”
“The Chinese are laughing while officials in Washington and some in Manila hide behind legal definitions to justify doing nothing,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.
“Why should the U.S. do more than its treaty obligations to the Philippines in response to China’s aggression in the South China Sea? Because if the U.S. can’t truly help the Philippines, other partners will start to question the value of their partnership,” he warned in a later post.
According to Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela, China’s coast guard “deliberately rammed and collided” with the Teresa Magbanua three times “despite no provocation.” Tarriela also shared photos to X showing minor structural damage sustained by the Philippine vessel in the collision.
The Philippines has stationed one of its largest coast guard vessels, the BRP Teresa Magbuana, at Sabina Shoal’s lagoon since April after discovering crushed coral piles, raising concerns that China might build an artificial island. In response, China has maintained a continuous maritime presence, and had in recent weeks blocked Philippine attempts to deliver supplies to the ship.
This afternoon, the Chinese Coast Guard vessel deliberately rammed and collided with the BRP Teresa Magbanua three times, despite no provocation from the Philippine Coast Guard. pic.twitter.com/jYnrXKpY3W
— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) August 31, 2024
Manila has vowed to maintain its presence in the area, while China accuses the Philippines of using the ship as a pretext for an indefinite presence, similar to the Philippines’ grounded warship at Second Thomas Shoal.
The Spratly Islands’ Sabina Shoal, located 86 miles from the Philippine Province of Palawan, lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, where international maritime law grants the Philippines exclusive access to resources. However, China’s territorial claims overlap with those of several Southeast Asian nations, leading to ongoing disputes.
The incident occurred after the Teresa Magbanua pulled anchor just after 8 a.m. and began to “maneuver and cause trouble” in Sabina Shoal’s lagoon, according to a China Coast Guard statement shared by the country’s embassy in the Manila.
Chinese coast guard ship 5205 “took measures such as issuing warnings… in accordance with laws and regulations,” spokesman Liu Dejun added. He faulted the Teresa Magbanua with “deliberately” colliding with its Chinese counterpart at 12:06 p.m.
Liu demanded the Southeast Asian country not “create hot spots or escalate the situation,” warning it would “bear all the consequences.”
The European Union on Sunday issued a statement condemning the “dangerous actions by Chinese coast guard vessels against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the South China Sea.
The Australian foreign affairs department on Monday also weighed in, citing the “repeated and intentional ramming of Philippine vessels and urging China to “cease these actions, resolve disputes peacefully, and adhere to international law.
China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, which overlaps with the territorial claims of the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. An international tribunal at The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration dismissed China’s claims in a landmark ruling brought by the Philippines. China, however, rejected the ruling and has continued to assert its claims in the region.
Newsweek reached out to the Philippine coast guard via written request for comment.
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