China and the Philippines have engaged in another stand-off near the Second Thomas Shoal, a reef in the South China Sea’s disputed Spratly Islands. This comes as Washington is building up its military presence in the Philippines and elsewhere in the region, eyeing a future war with Beijing.
Last month, during a tense confrontation, Chinese Coast Guard ships fired a water cannon at Philippine boats attempting to re-supply a World War II era tank-landing ship. The BRP Sierra Madre, grounded on the reef in 1999, is used by Manilla as a base of operations and to assert its claims. In a more recent incident, the Chinese Coast Guard claimed it allowed the vessels to resupply the warship because a “temporary special arrangement” was made since no “illegal construction materials” were being delivered.
However, on Friday, China’s Coast Guard said in a statement that two Philippine supply ships and two coast guard vessels made an “unapproved entry” to the reef and were given a warning as Beijing holds “indisputable sovereignty” over the atoll.
Second Thomas Shoal is controlled by Manilla, but is also claimed by Beijing, Taipei, and Hanoi. “[China] firmly opposes the Philippines’ delivery of illegal building materials to warships illegally grounded on the beach,” the statement reads. The Philippines conversely denounced the “illegal” actions of the Chinese Coast Guard, citing “harassment, dangerous maneuvers, and aggressive conduct.”
Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Adm. Samuel Paparo, has previously declared Washington “stand[s] ready” to assist Philippine boats attempting to resupply the BRP Sierra Madre. Last week, the US and the Philippines conducted a joint naval patrol in the South China Sea where Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander of the US Seventh Fleet, believes Beijing should be “challenged.”
The White House has signed a deal to gain access to four more military bases in the Philippines, including some which are located provocatively close to the island of Taiwan. US troops have been deployed to Taiwan and are training local forces for war with the mainland. Joe Biden and other top officials have repeatedly stated the US will go to war with Beijing if the island is attacked.
Disputes between Manilla and Beijing risk being a flashpoint for a much larger conflict. In May, the US issued new guidelines for its mutual defense treaty with the Philippines. The Pentagon clarified “an armed attack in the Pacific, including anywhere in the South China Sea, on either of [the Philippines’] public vessels, aircraft, or armed forces – which includes their Coast Guards – would invoke mutual defense commitments under Articles IV and V of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.”
Since Barack Obama launched the “pivot to Asia,” the US has been challenging China, using the Navy’s Seventh Fleet, inserting itself into disputes between regional actors there with myriad overlapping claims on the waters including over various rocks, reefs, islands, islets, and archipelagos. During the Donald Trump administration, Washington formally rejected almost all of China’s claims to the waters in the South China Sea.
In April, Washington and Manila carried out their largest ever joint military exercises. 17,600 military personnel took part, including 12,000 American troops. The Balikatan exercises saw over 100 Australian soldiers participate as well. The increasing pressure on both Russia and China has seen Moscow and Beijing step up their own cooperation in the region.
Connor Freeman is the assistant editor and a writer at the Libertarian Institute, primarily covering foreign policy. He is a co-host on the Conflicts of Interest podcast. His writing has been featured in media outlets such as Antiwar.com, Counterpunch, and the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. He has also appeared on Liberty Weekly, Around the Empire, and Parallax Views. You can follow him on Twitter @FreemansMind96.
The Philippine’s corrupt government gives up on providing jobs and food for their people and is eager for them to become “cannon fodders.” But cheer up, they’re doing it for “Freedom and Democracy.” (Sarcasm)
While Chinese sailors lob water balloons at their ships, NA 😁
The BRP Sierra Madre
As we all know, Uncle Sam decides whose territory belongs to a potential adversary (see China, a civilization which preceded that of the entire host of rules-based order nations), and whose does not.
Finally the name of the Philippine capital was corrected from Manilla to Manila in the last reference to it, in the the article.
The increasing pressure on both Russia and China has seen Moscow and Beijing step up their own cooperation in the region. (excerpt)
The next flash point, ie; (Taiwan/Spartly Island), is already being laid out for the next war. With Russia bogged down in Ukraine and China’s territorial aims being challenged and threatened by the U.S. seventh fleet. It has thrown former arms length competitors into each others arms. Setting up NATO and the propagandized axis nations for the eventual big one. This (IMO) has to happen in order for the West to keep its world currency hegemony. This is how IMO the current geopolitical chess board being played out.
Other news reports on Second Thomas Shoal often include the fact that the Sierra Madre is in the Philippines EEZ – Exclusive Economic Zone – which is irrelevant. Credit to Freeman on that.
This situation rather is based on conflicting terrain claims, which is not covered by UNCLOS (by the way). It’s “law of the sea.”
One might say that this all started eleven years ago when Japan grabbed the contested Senkakus, in the East China Sea, and the US immediately send it would defend them for Japan and against China if necessary. China has more of a right to them, looking at history.
“China has more of a right to them, looking at history.”
Looking at history, huh?
Japan has controlled the islands since 1896, except for the period of US occupation from 1945-1972.
Prior to 1896, they were never controlled China under the Qing Dynasty.
Since 1896, at no time have they been controlled by the Republic of China or the People’s Republic of China.
The PRC and Taiwan first started claiming ownership of the islands in 1971 — not based on any prior Chinese occupation or administration of those islands, but because a survey indicated there might be a large oil and gas reserve under the nearby seabed.
some history for you–
>1945: The Potsdam Declaration (Declaration Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender) of 1945 set the terms of Japan’s unconditional surrender. The declaration said that Japan should retain no overseas territories.
> 1949: The Chinese Communist Party forces entered Beijing.
>1951: China was excluded from the conference which issued the Treaty of San Francisco in 1951, and hundreds of islands south of Japan were ceded to Japan, comprising the whole of Okinawa prefecture, including the Senkakus.
So Japan was rewarded, given primacy by the US over China where Japan had conducted its war crimes, establishing Japan now as a US ally against China.
Does any of that history contradict any of the history I cited? Does any of it contain even a hint of a possibility of a basis for a claim of Chinese ownership of the Senkakus?
Beijing and Taipei suddenly became interested in the Senkakus in 1971 when they realized there might be oil/gas there. Prior to that their interest, and their occupancy, had always been zero.
We should start targeting their illegal fishing fleets too, while there’s still fish left in the sea to eat.