Naval disputes between China and the Philippines have once again roiled the waters of the South China Sea on Monday. Coast guards from the two countries have accused each other of ramming vessels and carrying out dangerous manoeuvres near Sabina Atoll, located in the disputed Spratly Islands. The clash, which has caused damage to two Philippine coast guard vessels, comes less than a month after both governments agreed to “reduce tensions and manage differences” in the region. They intended to do so through “an interim agreement” to avoid confrontations during Philippine missions to send supplies to soldiers stationed in the Sierra Madrea rusty World War II ship that has been grounded since 1999 by the Manila government on the Ayungin sandbank — near Sabina — to maintain its interests in the enclave. Beijing, which has been waiting for the ship to completely disintegrate for 25 years, frequently blocks Philippine resupply efforts.
According to the Chinese Coast Guard, two ships from its Philippine counterpart entered waters near the Sabina Shoal, which is claimed by both nations, early Monday morning. The reef, known as Xianbin Jiao in China and Escoda in the Philippines, is located 140 kilometers west of the Philippine island of Palawan and more than 1,000 kilometers from the Chinese island of Hainan.
The Chinese side said in a statement that at 3.24am (9.24pm on Sunday in mainland Spain), one of the two Philippine vessels “ignored repeated warnings” and “deliberately collided” with one of its vessels in an “unprofessional and dangerous” manner.
Manila, however, has denied this version, and has criticised Beijing for “imposing its own interpretation of the facts”. The Philippine guard has assured that its ships “came across the illegal and aggressive manoeuvres” of the Chinese vessels when they were on their way to supply the personnel stationed on the Patag and Lawak islands, controlled by the Philippines, but also claimed by China.
The Philippine Coast Guard has reported that one of the collisions caused a hole with a diameter of approximately 12 centimeters in the deck of the ship. Cape DeceptionMinutes later, another Chinese vessel rammed the Philippine ship twice. Bagacaywhose auxiliary room has been damaged with a hole one metre wide, according to Philippine officials. Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said it was the “most serious structural damage” suffered “as a result of the dangerous manoeuvres carried out by the Chinese coast guard”.
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In a separate statement, Chinese maritime security officials said that at around 06:00 (00:00 CET), one of the same Philippine vessels approached the Ayungin Sandbank — which is also claimed by both nations — forcing the Chinese side to take “control measures in accordance with the law.”
Chinese coast guard spokesman Gan Yu accused the Philippine side of “repeatedly stirring up trouble” and “violating” the temporary agreement the two countries reached in July on the delivery of supplies to the Sierra Madre. He said that if Manila does not “immediately cease its provocations,” it will have to “face the consequences.” The Philippines, for its part, said that its two ships will continue their mission of resupplying the soldiers stationed in Patag, and called for “restraint and adherence to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
In recent months, the uninhabited Sabina Atoll has become a new point of conflict between the two governments. The sandbar serves as a meeting place for Philippine ships carrying out resupply missions. Sierra Madre.
The fighting began in April, with the arrival at Sabina islet of one of the best-equipped Philippine Coast Guard vessels, the BRP Teresa MagbanuaBeijing has seen the move as a new attempt by Manila to establish a permanent outpost, while the Philippines claims its presence is in response to reports that China is carrying out land reclamation missions.
“Strong response”
On Thursday, the South China Sea Strategic Situation Survey Initiative, a platform launched by the Ocean Research Institute of the prestigious Peking University, suggested in a report that the Philippines was sending a new coast guard vessel to replace the BRP Teresa Magbanuaand predicted a “strong response” from the Asian giant. On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said his country was “closely following” developments and would “take firm and decisive measures.”
China claims “undisputed sovereignty” over 90% of the South China Sea, citing “historical reasons.” In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague unanimously denied the legal basis for its arguments and ruled that Beijing’s expansionism violates the sovereign rights of many of its neighbors. Although the People’s Republic is a signatory to the UN treaty on which the ruling is based, it questions the authority of that decision and does not recognize it.
A week ago, two Chinese military aircraft carried out a dangerous maneuver, firing flares into the path of Philippine Air Force planes on a routine patrol over another disputed atoll, Scarborough, near the Philippine island of Luzon.
Both Sabina and Ayungin Shoals are located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, which under international law extends up to 200 nautical miles from the coast of a sovereign state. Sabina Shoal is 123.6 nautical miles from the Philippine island of Palawan, while Ayungin Shoal is 105 nautical miles away. On Sunday, Commodore Jay Tarriela wrote on social media site X that their ships “have the right to operate within the atoll lagoon for as long as necessary, without the need to seek permission from any other country.”
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