Tensions flare over South China sea after vessels collide
Tensions over the South China Sea escalated Monday with China filing a diplomatic complaint, the Philippines summoning Beijing’s ambassador, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordering a probe a day after Tensions have escalated after Chinese ships collided with Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, causing damage to Philippine vessels within their exclusive economic zone. A senior Chinese diplomat from the Chinese embassy in Manila expressed dissatisfaction and opposition to the Philippines' incursion. He urged the Philippines to stop its "provocations" at sea and "smearing" campaign and remove its stranded vessel, the BRP Sierra Madre, which was placed in Second Thomas Shoal by the Philippines in 1999 in response to China's occupation of nearby Mischief Reef. China has been urging the Philippines not to remove the ship that it claims was "illegally" and "deliberately" ran aground at the shoal. The collision occurred after the Philippine boats ignored warnings and approached Chinese vessels in an unsafe manner, according to the U.S. State Department. The Philippines and its treaty ally, the United States, have been increasing public exposure of such incidents and have moved to expand defense cooperation, which has been seen as an opportunity for China to test America's resolve in the region.
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The “dangerous, illegal, and reckless maneuvers” by Chinese ships caused damage to Philippine vessels “within our exclusive economic zone and is being taken seriously at the highest level of government,” according to a statement issued by Marcos’s office.
A senior diplomat at the Chinese embassy in Manila met with a Philippine foreign ministry official and expressed strong dissatisfaction and opposition to Philippine vessels’ incursion, according to a statement from the embassy. The diplomat urged the Philippines to stop its “provocations” at sea and “smearing” campaign, and tow away its stranded vessel as soon as possible.
The vessel to be resupplied — the BRP Sierra Madre — is a World War II-era ship that was placed in Second Thomas Shoal by the Philippines in 1999 in response to China’s occupation of nearby Mischief Reef four years prior. China, however, has repeatedly urged the Philippines to remove the ship that it said was “illegally” and “deliberately” ran aground at the shoal. Beijing also considers the shoal, which it calls Ren’ai Jiao, as part of its territory.
A social media account linked to the People’s Liberation Army accused the Philippines of misleading the world and providing a “window” for some forces to intervene in the South China Sea, a veiled reference to the U.S.
Sunday’s encounter follows Philippine efforts to push back against a growing number of incursions as Beijing asserts its claim to nearly all of a key waterway that’s resource-rich and vital to global trade. China said the collisions took place after the Philippine boats ignored warnings and approached Chinese vessels in an unsafe manner.
The ships “violated international law by intentionally interfering with the Philippine vessels’ exercise of high seas freedom of navigation,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Sunday. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a briefing on Monday that the U.S. statement “is an attempt to endorse the Philippines’ act of infringement and provocation.”
In addition to stepping up public exposure of such incidents, the Philippines and its treaty ally, the U.S., have moved to expand defense cooperation, inflaming tensions between the two superpowers. But with the U.S. already preoccupied with the war in Ukraine and now a second conflict between Israel and Hamas, observers say China may see an opportunity to test America’s resolve in the Indo-Pacific region.
Asked whether the collision would prompt the Philippines to invoke the country’s longstanding treaty with the U.S. that would require the latter to come to the Southeast Asian nation’s defense, Manila’s foreign affairs official Daza said it was “something that needs to be studied.”
주제: China