Philippines Demands Beijing Pay $1 Million in Damages Over South China Sea Clash

Chinese coast guard personnel hold knives and machetes as they approach Philippine troops on a resupply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal at the disputed South China Sea on June 17, 2024. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP)

The Philippines has demanded 60 million pesos (about $1 million) in damages from the Chinese communist regime after last month’s confrontation in the South China Sea, according to the Philippine military chief.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said on July 4 that the compensation demanded by Manila is to cover the two navy vessels rammed by Chinese motorboats in the clash. Gen. Brawner also asked Beijing to return seven rifles, which he said were seized by Chinese coast guard personnel during the confrontation.

The Philippine military may also ask China to pay for planned surgery for the navy officer who lost his right thumb during the conflict when a Chinese navy vessel rammed his boat, Gen. Brawner said.

The latest China–Philippine clash occurred on June 17 in disputed waters in the South China Sea. Philippine military officials said Chinese coast guard personnel carried knives and spears, looted firearms, and deliberately punctured Philippine boats involved in a humanitarian delivery mission to its outpost on the Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Ayungin in the Philippines and Ren’ai Jiao by Beijing.

The shoal, part of the disputed Spratly Islands, has been occupied by a small Philippine navy contingent aboard a grounded warship that China’s coast guard and navy have closely monitored in a years-long territorial standoff. The Chinese regime claims the South China Sea virtually in its entirety.

Gen. Brawner’s comments come after he and other top military commanders met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a closed-door conference. They discussed progress in counterattack efforts and updated plans to defend Philippine territorial interests in the South China Sea. The general added that Mr. Marcos had ordered the Philippine armed forces to take steps to de-escalate tensions in the disputed waters.

Gen. Brawner warned that Philippine forces would “apply the same level of force” that would allow them to defend themselves if they were involved in another confrontation with Chinese troops at the shoal. “If a knife is used, for example, our personnel will also use a knife, nothing more, under the concept of proportionality,” he told reports at a press conference on June 4.

On July 2, Manila and Beijing agreed to “restore trust” and “rebuild confidence” to better control maritime disputes during the ninth meeting of their Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea.

The Philippines has been strengthening its ties with neighbors and other countries to counter the Chinese regime’s growing aggression in the region.

Last month, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs announced that Japanese foreign and defense ministers will meet with their Philippine counterparts in Manila on July 8 to discuss “bilateral and defense and security issues affecting the region and exchange views on regional and international issues.” Japan previously expressed concern over the latest China–Philippine clash.

‘Dress Rehearsal for Taiwan’

During an event at the Heritage Foundation earlier this week, Matthew Pottinger, former deputy national security adviser to the Trump administration, stated that Beijing’s recent provocation with the Philippines was intended to discredit Washington and prepare for a future invasion of Taiwan.

“It’s a dress rehearsal for Taiwan,” Mr. Pottinger said. “What they’re doing is trying to demonstrate that they can create a sense of futility and discredit the idea that the United States is going to help not only the Philippines but, by extension, Taiwan.”

Mr. Pottinger also said the United States needs to work more with the Philippines to counter the Chinese regime’s threats.

After last month’s incident, the United States reaffirmed its “ironclad commitments” to the Philippines under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which requires the nations to support each other if either country is attacked. Washington condemned Beijing’s “dangerous and irresponsible actions to deny the Philippines from executing a lawful maritime operation in the South China Sea.”

National security adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also called their Philippine counterparts to reaffirm U.S. commitments to the Philippines.

In April, at the trilateral U.S.-Japan-Philippine summit in Washington, leaders of the three countries opposed the Chinese regime’s aggressive actions and its unlawful claim of almost the entire South China Sea. They called on Beijing to follow the 2016 ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which declared that the regime’s maritime claims lack a legal basis under international law. The three leaders also announced that their coast guards plan to conduct a trilateral exercise in the Indo-Pacific region in the coming year.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.