Tension

The latest in a series of maritime encounters between the two nations that have escalated tensions in the region, the Philippines and China accused each other of risky manoeuvres and triggering a collision in contested seas in the South China Sea through the first week of December of 2023. The Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels “harassed, blocked and executed dangerous manoeuvres on Philippine civilian supply vessels – in another attempt to illegally impede or obstruct a routine resupply and rotation mission” to the Second Thomas Shoal, according to a statement released on X by Jay Tarriela, a spokesperson for the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS).

According to the Philippine Coast Guard, water cannon firing caused damage to at least two of their ships. However, the Chinese Coast Guard declared that it was enforcing “control measures against the Philippine vessels in accordance with the law” after Philippine ships “illegally intruded” in its waters. According to the report, a Philippine boat purposely veered and crashed in a risky and unprofessional manner with a Chinese boat, despite having ignored numerous warnings from China. However, the Chinese Coast Guard stated, “The Philippines bears full responsibility.”

To assert its claim to the Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Ayungin Shoal to Manila and Ren’ai Reef to Beijing, the Philippines grounded a former US Navy ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, in 1999. The Philippines now maintains troops stationed on the ship. China contests Manila’s claim, and the two nations have been squabbling over the hotly contested strait more and more frequently. In a statement released on December 10th, the Philippines claimed that one of its ships had been pulled back to Ulugan Bay on the island of Palawan by the Philippine Coast Guard, and that another vessel had sustained damage to its mast.

In addition, it stated that Unaizah Mae 1 (UM1), a different supply vessel, had reached BRP Sierra Madre successfully and that “resupply is ongoing,” even though the supply vessel had been struck by a Chinese Coast Guard ship. Asserting that China had “put the lives of our people at risk,” Tarriela declared, “We condemn, once again, its latest unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous manoeuvres against a legitimate and routine Philippine rotation and resupply mission.”

As China has become more assertive in militarizing disputed islands and confronting its regional competitors over competing claims in the strategically significant and resource-rich waterway, maritime tensions around the vast South China Sea have intensified in recent years. Nearly the whole 1.3 million square miles of the South China Sea, along with most of its islands and sandbars—many of which are located hundreds of miles from the Chinese mainland—are claimed by Beijing as having “indisputable sovereignty.” In addition to being home to extensive, productive fishing grounds that support many lives and livelihoods, the canal is essential to global trade.