China Invades Philippine South China Sea, Ramming Ships in Their Own Waters

Navy Frigate Yantai
CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Christian K. Caruzo

Philippine Coast Guard vessels clashed with Chinese naval forces on Monday on the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, which China illegally claims as its own, leaving four Filipino crewmen injured.

The incident occurred during a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded World War II US-made vessel that has served as an outpost of the Philippine Marine Corps since 1999. Manila uses the outpost to assert its sovereignty over the Spratly Islands, which China illicitly claims as its own.

China lost a 2016 case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague in which it claimed nearly the entirety of the South China Sea as its own, so its activities in foreign waters are technically banned by international law.

According to information from the U.S. Naval Institute, Chinese ships intercepted the civilian resupply boat Unaizah May 4 and the Philippine Coast Guard patrol vessel BRP Sindangan on Monday, forcing them to turn back.

Philippine officials stated that the Chinese vessels’ “dangerous maneuvers” led to two collisions, causing minor structural damage to the BRP Sindagan. The Chinese vessels used water cannons on the civilian Unaizah May 4, shattering the wooden boat’s windshield.

The incident prompted the Philippine government to summon China’s deputy chief of mission in Manilla on Tuesday for a formal diplomatic protest against the actions of the Chinese naval forces against the Philippine resupply vessel and its crew. Manila requested that all Chinese vessels immediately leave the area surrounding the shoal.

“China’s interference with the Philippines’ routine and lawful activities in its own exclusive economic zone is unacceptable,” the Philippine Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “China’s actions in Ayungin Shoal infringe upon the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction.”

China blamed the incident on the Philippine ships, claiming that the Philippine vessels “intruded” into waters adjacent to the Second Thomas Shoal, which the Chinese government refers to as the “Ren’ai Reef.”

While Chinese vessels have rammed and deployed water cannons against Philippine vessels in previous resupply missions to the shoal, Tuesday is the first time Philippine personnel have been injured as a result of clashes with Beijing since last year. Multiple PCG patrol boats and civilian resupply boats chartered by the Philippine Navy have been damaged in these incidents.

China maintains an illegal claim to almost all of the South China Sea, a roughly 1.4-million-square-mile sea territory. The area is rich in resources and hosts about half of the world’s daily merchant shipping, a third of global oil shipping, two-thirds of all liquid natural gas shipments, and more than a tenth of the Earth’s entire fish catch. The territory China claims includes sovereign territory belonging to the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, and the entire nation of Taiwan, as well as some waters off the coast of Indonesia.

The Philippines, seeking to resolve the territorial and maritime disputes, took China to the Court of Arbitration at the Hague in 2013. The court overwhelmingly ruled in favor of the Philippines in 2016. The Hague’s ruling determined that China’s claims, including its so-called “nine-dash line” claims, were unlawful. China has repeatedly insisted that the ruling is “null and void,” maintaining an increasingly hostile position and continuing to act as if its claims are legitimate.

The water cannon incident on Monday occurred ahead of a regional summit of Asian leaders where the subject of Beijing’s growing aggression at sea is expected to be raised.

U.S. Ambassador to Manilla MaryKay L. Carlson condemned China’s actions against the Philippine vessels on social media, posting a copy of a statement released by the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea on Tuesday.

“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 statement read. “The systematic and consistent manner in which the People’s Republic of China carries out these illegal and irresponsible actions puts into question the sincerity of its calls for peaceful dialogue and lessening of tensions.”

“The Philippines, for its part, continues to act peacefully and responsibly, consistent with international law, particularly UNCLOS and the legally binding 2016 Arbitral Award,” the statement continued. “Peace and stability cannot be achieved without due regard for the legitimate, well-established, and legally settled rights of others.”

Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.

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