Philippines Dares China to Seek Arbitration After Water Cannon Attack

A Chinese coast guard ship (top) tries to block a Philippine government vessel at the disputed South China Sea on March 21, 2024. Philippine Coast Guard via AP

The Philippines’ defense chief has dared China to take its maritime sovereignty claims in the South China Sea to international arbitration after the latest water cannon attack by Chinese coast guard vessels.

Chinese coast guard ships hit a Philippine supply vessel with water cannons at the Second Thomas Shoal on March 23, injuring crew members and causing heavy damage to the vessel.

It’s the second time in a month that the vessel, Unaizah May 4, has been damaged by a Chinese coast guard water cannon assault. On March 5, a confrontation also injured crew members.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro denounced the attacks and said that Beijing should resolve its maritime claims in accordance with international laws instead of attacking Philippine vessels.

“If China is not afraid to state its claims to the world, then why don’t we arbitrate under international law?” Mr. Teodoro told reporters on March 25.

“No country believes [their claims], and they see this as their way to use force, intimidate and bend the Philippines to their ambitions.”

The Unaizah May 4 vessel was delivering supplies and transporting Filipino sailors to a territorial outpost in the shoal when it was blocked and surrounded by China Coast Guard ships and suspected militia vessels.

A Philippine task force on the South China Sea said Chinese vessels engaged in “reckless and dangerous” behavior toward the Philippine ship, which culminated with the firing of water cannons.

A China Coast Guard ship fires water cannons at Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 in the South China Sea on March 23, 2024. Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP

Footage released by the Philippine military shows two China Coast Guard ships hitting the wooden-hulled boat with high-pressure water cannon sprays at close range, causing the boat to shift in the high seas.

The Philippine Foreign Ministry said it has summoned China’s envoy to convey to Beijing its strong protest against the “aggressive actions” of the Chinese vessels in the South China Sea.

“China’s aggressive actions call into question its sincerity in lowering the tensions and promoting peace and stability in the South China Sea,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Even as the Philippines continues to engage China in dialogue and diplomacy at the bilateral and multilateral levels, China’s aggressive actions contradict and put to waste ASEAN–China efforts to promote practical activities to foster peace and cooperation in the region.”

Beijing, however, blames Manila and accused the Philippine ship of intruding into its territorial waters. The Chinese Foreign Ministry warned that the Philippines will bear “all potential consequences.”

The Second Thomas Shoal, which Manila refers to as Ayungin Shoal and China calls Renai Reef, is located roughly 105 nautical miles from the Philippines’ Palawan Province, so it falls under Philippine jurisdiction.

The 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which China is a signatory, designates maritime areas within 200 nautical miles (230 miles) of coastlines as part of a nation’s exclusive economic zone.

US Voices Support for Philippines

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that the United States “stands with its ally the Philippines” and condemns the Chinese vessels’ “dangerous actions” in the South China Sea.

He said the Chinese ships’ “repeated employment of water cannons and reckless blocking maneuvers resulted in injuries to Filipino service members and significant damage to their resupply vessel, rendering it immobile.”

Mr. Miller warned Beijing that any attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, and aircraft in the South China Sea would trigger a U.S. mutual defense treaty with the Philippines.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.