On the sidelines of a resupply mission in the South China Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard accused Chinese forces of causing collisions with two of their boats on Tuesday March 5 and injuring four of its personnel with water cannons.
The skirmishes occurred in the Second Thomas Shoal (or Ayungin Atoll, in French) sector of the Spratly Islands, claimed by both countries and a regular scene of incidents. The Philippines maintains troops there permanently. The Chinese coast guard said it had “taken control measures” against “Philippine vessels after they trespassed in waters near Ren’ai Reef [Chinese name for Ayungin Atoll], Nansha Islands [name Chinese from the Spratly Archipelago]”, without providing further details.
The Philippine flotilla, made up of two supply boats and two escort boats, was attacked as it approached the Second Thomas Shoal, where Filipino units are stationed aboard a stranded ship, the Sierra- Mother. One of the supply boats, the Unaizah-May-4, was targeted by simultaneous jets of water from two Chinese ships, which broke the windows of its command post and injured four people, according to Manila.
Chinese representative in Manila summoned
This boat was also the victim of a “minor collision”, according to this source, and had to turn back without being able to unload its cargo and the soldiers intended to relieve the stationed troops. The other supply boat, the Unaizah-May-1, was able to unload its load normally on the Sierra Madre. A Philippine escort vessel was also the victim of a “minor collision” that “resulted in minor structural damage,” according to Philippine authorities.
The Chinese ships “harassed, blockaded, deployed water cannons and executed dangerous maneuvers in yet another attempt to obstruct or illegally interfere with a routine resupply and rotation mission,” the Philippine government charged. The spokesperson for the Chinese coast guard, Gan Yu, for his part, accused the Philippine forces of having “deliberately” hit a Chinese boat, causing a “scratch”.
A little later, the Philippine authorities announced that they had summoned the Chinese representative in Manila to denounce “aggressive” actions by Beijing. The Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the number two at the embassy that it considered this incident “unacceptable”.
For its part, Beijing expressed “strong protests,” added Chinese diplomatic spokesperson Mao Ning, according to whom the Philippine ships “were trying to transport supplies and construction materials” to consolidate the Sierra Madre. . The American ambassador in Manila, MaryKay Carlson, accused China of carrying out “dangerous maneuvers” which “put lives at risk”. The representative of the European Union (EU), Luc Véron, for his part, said he was “troubled”.
Threat of “a new escalation”
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, including waters and islands near the coasts of several neighboring countries, despite an international court ruling in 2016. The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim several reefs and islets in this sea, some areas of which could contain oil reserves. In December, Chinese ships had already fired water cannons at Philippine boats.
This new incident comes the day after an intervention by the Philippine President, Ferdinand Marcos, who once again displayed his firmness towards China. “We will never cede even one square centimeter of our territory,” insisted the head of state on Monday on the sidelines of a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and of Australia, in Melbourne.
Relations between Manila and Beijing have deteriorated since the 2022 election of President Marcos, who decided to strengthen ties with the United States, the country’s traditional allies, and oppose Beijing’s actions at sea from southern China. An approach that contrasted with that of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, who put aside maritime disputes with Beijing in exchange for promises of investment.
