The Philippines military on Thursday ordered the increased deployment of navy ships to the South China Sea to help carry out “sovereignty” watches, amid a growing diplomatic row with China over its ships parked near a disputed reef. Manila believes that the close proximity of the vessels is a “swarming and threatening presence,” and “an incursion of its sovereign territory.”
Philippine military chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana reported that around 220 boats were first detected by the country’s coast guard on March 7, following which Manila urged Beijing to recall the vessels. A military aerial patrol over the reef on Monday found 183 of them were still parked at the shallow coral region that lies about 175 nautical miles (324 kilometres) west of Bataraza town in the western Philippine island province of Palawan.
The boats have been parked at the Whitsun Reef (known as the Julian Felipe Reef in the Philippines) that lies within Manila’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Their presence has irked not just the Philippines, but also Vietnam, which disputes the ownership of the Spratly Islands with China. The Whitsun Reef is located on the northeast border of the Spratly Islands, which has made Hanoi uneasy. “The president said we are really concerned. Any country will be concerned with that number of ships,” Duterte’s spokesperson, Harry Roque, told a regular news conference. In addition, Vietnam’s foreign ministry also said in its statement that it “requests that China stop this violation and respect Vietnam’s sovereignty.”
The concerns of the Philippines and Vietnam have been validated by the United States (US), which has called China out for its aggressiveness in the region. On Tuesday, a statement released by the US Embassy in Manila accused China of using “maritime militia to intimidate, provoke, and threaten other nations, which undermines peace and security in the region.” It further reiterated its commitment to Manila, saying, “We stand with the Philippines, our oldest treaty ally in Asia.”
In response, China argued that the fishing boats are taking shelter from poor weather near the reef. Beijing calls the Whitsun Reef “Niué Jiao,” and claims it as part of the contested Spratly Islands. “Any speculation in such helps nothing but causes unnecessary irritation. It is hoped that the situation could be handled in an objective and rational manner,” the Chinese Embassy said in a statement on Monday.
This is not the first instance of tensions rising between Manila and Beijing this year over maritime concerns. Last month, General Cirilito Sobejana had said that the country would be increasing its naval presence in the South China Sea in response to China passing a controversial law that granted its coastguard the power to attack foreign vessels and demolish structures built in disputed waters. According to the Philippines, the law is “a verbal threat of war to any country that defies the law; which, if unchallenged, is submission to it.”
In recent years, China has been significantly increasing its military presence on islands claimed by the Philippines. Over the course of 2020, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) brought in advanced KQ-200 anti-submarine planes and KJ-500 control aircraft to the disputed Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands chain, effectively declaring it as a part of its own territory in Southern Hainan. Additionally, it has stationed maritime militia vessels for over a year around Thitu Island, which is the Philippines’ largest occupied island in the Spratly archipelago.
Philippines Increases Military Deployment to South China Sea Following Chinese Incursions
The Philippines military has ordered an increased deployment of military vessels in the South China Sea after a fleet of Chinese boats was found parked near a disputed reef.
March 26, 2021
SOURCE: KAILA V. PETERS/U.S. NAVY