Tensions in the South China Sea have escalated following an incident in which Chinese vessels allegedly seized food supplies and medicines intended for Philippine military personnel stationed at Second Thomas Shoal.
The Philippine military stated that Chinese boats intercepted and seized one of four food packs that were airdropped to the Filipino outpost in disputed waters in the South China Sea on May 19.
The food supplies were meant for the Philippine Marines aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, a deliberately grounded navy vessel that has served as a Philippine outpost since 1999 in the disputed Spratly Islands.
According to Philippine military officials, the Chinese Coast Guard moved in aggressively, with two rigid-hulled inflatable boats coming within 10 meters (11 yards) of the Sierra Madre, to seize the packages. Footage released by the Philippine military shows four motorboats racing dangerously to retrieve the items floating at sea.
Philippine military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner speculated that the Chinese may have searched for construction materials in the packages intended to reinforce the aging vessel. The Chinese personnel opened the packages and dumped the items into the sea after finding that they contained food, he said.
Chinese state media reported that Philippine Marines pointed weapons at the Chinese Coast Guard. The Armed Forces of the Philippines rejected this claim in its statement, describing their actions as a necessary precaution, because of the provocative actions of the Chinese Coast Guard.
The incident is the latest development of a series of confrontations between the two nations in the region. The Philippines frequently cites a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated China’s extensive claims over the South China Sea, affirming that the Second Thomas Shoal falls within its exclusive economic zone.
China claims control over nearly the entire South China Sea as its waters, a crucial route for more than $3 trillion in annual maritime trade, overlapping with areas claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that China’s claims lack legal basis under international law. Despite this, Beijing ignored the ruling.
‘Act of War’
Last week, at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned the Chinese regime of “an act of war” if Beijing crossed the red line.In his keynote, Mr. Marcos denounced illegal, coercive, and aggressive actions in the South China Sea. Mr. Marcos said the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries had a vision for “peace, stability, and prosperity” in the South China Sea, but that this was being undermined by other actors, without naming China.
“Unfortunately, this vision remains for now a distant reality. Illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions continue to violate our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction,” he said.
After his speech, Mr. Marcos called security in the South China Sea, through which a huge volume of trade passes, a global issue. Later, a reporter asked Mr. Marcos whether China would be crossing a “red line” if one of its coast guard ships killed a Filipino with water cannons.
“If a Filipino citizen was killed by a wilful act, that is very close to what we define as an act of war,” Mr. Marcos said. “We would have crossed the Rubicon. Is that a red line? Almost certainly.”
