(UPDATE) THE government said Tuesday that China Coast Guard vessels caused two collisions with Philippine vessels and water cannoned a boat, leaving four crew members injured during a resupply mission near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said China’s aggressive behavior was a “clear and present challenge” to the Philippine Navy after reporting that “China Coast Guard and Chinese maritime militia vessels harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers in another attempt to illegally impede or obstruct a routine resupply and rotation mission.”
The China Coast Guard, on the other hand, said it “took control measures” against Philippine ships’ “illegal intrusion” in waters around Ren’ai Reef in China’s Nansha Islands, using the Chinese names for the shoal and Spratly Islands.
BOMBARDMENT In this frame grab from aerial video footage taken on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, and released by the Philippine Coast Guard, China Coast Guard ships (left and right) deploy water cannons at the Philippine military-chartered civilian boat Unaizah May 4 during its supply mission near Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. AFP PHOTO
The BRP Sindangan, along with a sister ship, had been deployed to support the chartered Unaizah May 4 and Unaizah May 1 boats carrying replacement soldiers and supplies to Ayungin Shoal, where Filipino troops are stationed on a grounded navy warship, the BRP Sierra Madre.
Four crew members on board the Unaizah May 4 were injured when two China Coast Guard ships simultaneously fired water cannons at it, shattering the windshield, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said in a statement.
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It said a China Coast Guard vessel also caused a “minor collision” with the Unaizah May 4, which turned back to shore without delivering its cargo.
Earlier in the morning, the task force added, a China Coast Guard vessel caused a separate “minor collision” with one of the Philippine Coast Guard ships that was escorting the supply boats.
China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu accused the Philippine Coast Guard ship of “intentionally” ramming the Chinese boat, causing a “minor scrape.”
The Unaizah May 1 was able to unload its provisions, which the troops on the BRP Sierra Madre depend on for their survival.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) summoned the deputy chief of mission of the Chinese Embassy in Manila, Zhou Zhiyong, to protest the latest incident and demanded that China immediately leave the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing aside competing claims from a host of Southeast Asian nations and an international ruling that has declared its stance baseless.
Deplorable
Sen. Mary Grace Poe denounced the latest “unlawful and dangerous actions” by the China Coast Guard.
“The water cannon attack against our ship on a peaceful resupply mission is deplorable and must stop,” Poe said in a statement.
“We stand firm that resupply missions voyaging along Philippine territory are legal and must not be disrupted by intruders.”
The incident comes a day after Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo called on China to “stop harassing us” as he defended Manila’s strategy of publicizing Chinese maneuvers in the South China Sea.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was similarly forthright when he appeared later Monday evening at an event hosted by an Australian think tank.
“We shall never surrender even a square inch of our territory and our maritime jurisdiction,” he said on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Melbourne.
Tuesday’s collisions and water cannoning came after similar incidents in December. Those confrontations were the most intense between Philippine and Chinese vessels in years.
Beijing is trying to “break our resolve, basically warn us that this will lead to further escalation,” political science professor Renato de Castro of Manila’s De La Salle University said Tuesday.
Relations between Manila and Beijing have frayed under Marcos, who has sought to improve ties with traditional ally Washington and deepen defense cooperation in the region while also pushing back against Chinese actions in the South China Sea.
That contrasts with the approach of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who set aside maritime disputes with Beijing in exchange for promises of Chinese investment.
Political analyst Richard Heydarian said the Chinese actions could also “further drive anti-China sentiment in the Philippines and encourage the Marcos administration to double down on its alliance with the West and traditional partners.”
“Of course, it could eventually… [lead] to a horrible accident or an extremely violent incident that could really escalate out of control in ways that are not only detrimental to the Philippines but also to the supposedly stronger party,” he said.
Also on Tuesday, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez reaffirmed the House of Representatives’ support for the continuous improvement of the Philippine Coast Guard’s capabilities and the modernization of the AFP.
“We stand united in support of President Marcos’ firm resolve to enhance our defense capabilities to uphold our country’s sovereignty and protect our national interest in the West Philippine Sea,” Romualdez said.
“The House of Representatives pledges its full cooperation in the legislative process to ensure the timely implementation of measures to strengthen the Philippine Coast Guard and modernize the AFP to bolster our country’s defense posture in the face of emerging challenges,” Romualdez, part of the President’s official delegation to the Asean-Australia Special Summit, said.
The NTF-WPS blamed China for the latest incident.
“Once again, China’s latest unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers against a legitimate and routine Philippine rotation and resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal have put the lives of our people at risk and caused actual injury to Filipinos on board UM4,” the task force said.
It said the “systematic and consistent manner” in which China carries out the “illegal and irresponsible actions puts into question the sincerity of its calls for peaceful dialogue and lessening of tensions.”
The NTF-WPS said the Philippines will continue to “act peacefully and responsibly, consistent with international law, particularly Unclos and the legally binding 2016 Arbitral Award.”
“Peace and stability cannot be achieved without due regard for the legitimate, well-established, and legally settled rights of others,” it said.
The task force said the Philippines would not be deterred from exercising its legal rights over its maritime zones, including Ayungin Shoal, which forms part of the country’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
“We demand that China demonstrate that it is a responsible and trustworthy member of the international community,” it said.
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