The South China Sea dispute flared up once again on Tuesday after the Philippines accused China of firing water cannons on the Filippino Coast Guard ship, causing significant damage to the railing and canopy. The incident marks the latest escalation of violence in the disputed South China Sea, of which a majority of the portion is claimed by Beijing.
The incident occured when the Philippine vessel “encountered dangerous maneuvers and obstruction from four China Coast Guard vessels and six Chinese Maritime Militia vessels” when it was carrying out a “legitimate patrol” near Scarborough Shoal. On the other hand, China justified its action by maintaining that the Philippine vessel was “intruding” into the water, thus it “expelled” the vessel following the law.
The South China Sea has become a crucial problem for the Philippines as China continues to assert ownership over almost all of the South China Sea, defying an international court ruling. For the past two years, China has occupied many obscure reefs and atolls far from its shoreline across the South China Sea, building up military installations, which include runways and ports.
Beijing and Manila’s South China Sea disputes have heated up since the 2022 election of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has taken a stronger line against China than his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte. The recurring clashes have also raised fears that they could lead to a wider conflict because the Philippines has been maintaining a mutual defense treaty with the United States, which covers Philippine vessels in the disputed waterway.
Similar to the latest incident, in March 2024, Chinese coast guard ships had fired water cannons on a Philippine vessel that was on a resupply mission to a contingent of Filipino marines on the Second Thomas Shoal, causing “heavy damages.” Following this, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos gave a stern warning to China, saying that the country would not be “cowed to silence” by Beijing.
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