China and the Philippines are trading blame for the latest collision between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea as tensions remain high over disputed reefs in the waters.
The collision occurred on Tuesday morning near Second Thomas Shoal, and four Filipino crew members were injured. The Philippines uses a grounded ship on Second Thomas Shoal as a base for operations in the region, and China often blocks resupply shipments to the vessel.
The maritime dispute risks sparking a major war since the US has repeatedly warned China that the US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty applies to attacks on Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, meaning the US is threatening it would intervene if the dispute turns hot.
After the collision, a spokesman for the Chinese Coast Guard said Manila “violated its commitments and deliberately sent two coastguard ships and two supply ships.”
“The Philippines is dishonest in its dialogue, deliberately stirs up trouble, maliciously incites and sensationalizes, and continues to undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea region,” the spokesman added, according to The South China Morning Post.
In response, a spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard said their vessels “faced dangerous maneuvers and blocking” and said China’s “reckless and illegal actions led to a collision.”
Tensions between China and the Philippines have soared since Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. came into power in 2022. He has taken a harder line against China’s claims to the South China Sea than his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, and has been emboldened by the US, which is beefing up its military presence in the Philippines and stepping up patrols in the South China Sea.
Nuland gone, time to start igniting shit in China?
Who will be the first one to blame the US and West for this collision?
🤷🏽♂️.
None of our business, anymore than it would be China’s business to send naval forces into the Caribbean. We have another paid-off Marcos in the PI.
Are you under the impression that China hasn’t sent naval forces into the Caribbean?
Not at all – but not near the firepower of our Carrier groups and bases in China’s sphere of influence. China’s weather balloon gets carried by the prevailing westerlies and the chicken littles have strokes.
I wasn’t thinking of weather balloons, but rather PLA navy ships visiting Caribbean countries (Cuba and Venezuela).
Number of PLA navy ships in our hemisphere are miniscule compared to our fleets in the INDO-PACIFIC Theater. Used to be PACOM but must be that was too restrictive of a term for the Empire.
China in Our Backyard – A Wakeup Call
RealClearDefense
https://www.realcleardefense.com › articles › 2023/01/20
Jan 20, 2023 — With China clearly setting its sights on our hemisphere, we need to seriously consider how we can effectively and swiftly move to shore up our …
See how the article above states it’s OUR Hemisphere?
Well, if you think that your fleet in the INDO-PACIFIC is too large, why not reduce its size (I don’t have a fleet there, or anywhere else — hell, I don’t even own a kayak, I have to rent).
You started with implying that it wouldn’t be China’s business to send naval forces to the Caribbean. Then when I noticed that China does indeed send naval forces to the Caribbean it suddenly became an amount/ratio issue instead. Maybe you should make up your fucking mind.
There is no “West”. There is the US and a bunch of bought off satraps, just like there was the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact.