Bangkok China has long been at odds with many other countries in the Asia-Pacific region over extensive maritime interests, including much of the South China Sea, a strategic and resource-rich area that Beijing claims as its territory, marked by a 10-dash line on official maps.
China is in the midst of a massive military expansion and is increasingly assertive, often in direct conflict with the Philippines, as well as involved in long-standing territorial disputes with Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
A 2016 UN arbitration ruling invalidated Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea, but China did not participate in the trial and rejected the ruling.
At stake are fishing rights, access to offshore oil reserves and other natural resources, and even the potential establishment of military bases.
The United States, which has a treaty with the Philippines, has expressed concern over China’s actions and President Joe Biden has pledged his “full” support for the Philippines, raising fears that an escalation of the incident could spark a wider conflict.
In the latest incident, a Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided on Monday near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The Chinese coast guard said the Philippine supply ship had entered waters near Second Thomas Reef, an underwater reef in the Spratly Islands that is claimed by several countries. The Philippine military criticized the Chinese coast guard’s report as “deceptive and misleading.”
Let’s look at some other incidents and developments over the past few months.
June 4: Philippine authorities say the Chinese Coast Guard has seized food dropped for Philippine Navy personnel at an outpost on Second Thomas Shoal. Philippine General Romeo Bronner says China may have suspected the parcels contained construction materials to shore up rusting Philippine Navy ships that it had purposely stranded on Second Thomas Shoal as a Philippine outpost.
May 16: About 100 Filipino activists in a wooden boat are chased overnight by Chinese coast guard vessels, so they change plans to distribute food to Filipinos based at Second Thomas Shoal and instead distribute food packs and fuel southeast of the disputed area.
April 30: A Chinese coast guard vessel fires a water cannon at two Philippine patrol boats near Scarborough Shoal, another disputed area where tensions have risen. Philippine officials say the water cannon could damage Philippine ships’ engines or capsize smaller boats. China called the move a “necessary measure” and accused the Philippines of violating Chinese sovereignty. China also reinstalled a floating fence at the entrance to Scarborough Shoal’s vast fishing reef.
April 23: A Chinese coast guard vessel intercepted and nearly collided with a Philippine patrol boat near Second Thomas Reef. Prior to the incident, a Chinese naval vessel had been pursuing two Philippine patrol boats near Subi, one of seven barren reefs in the Spratly Islands that China has converted into a missile defense bastion island over the past decade. Subi is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.
March 23: The Chinese coast guard fired a water cannon at a Philippine supply ship near Second Thomas Shoal, injuring crew members and damaging the vessel, according to Philippine officials. China says the Philippines had entered its territorial waters despite repeated warnings.
March 5: Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels engaged in a minor clash off Second Thomas Shoal, injuring four Filipino sailors when China fired a water cannon at a supply ship, shattering the vessel’s windshield. The Chinese coast guard said the Philippine vessels had trespassed in the area and accused one of ramming the Chinese vessel.
Jan. 12: The captain of a Philippine fishing boat claims that the Chinese coast guard chased him off Scarborough Shoal and forced him to dump his catch into the sea.
December 9, 2023: The Chinese Coast Guard surrounds a supply ship and uses water cannons near Second Thomas Shoal. A top Philippine military official aboard the supply ship says they too were “rammed” by the Chinese vessel.
November 10, 2023: China uses water cannon to attack a Philippine supply ship near Second Thomas Shoal. China claims it acted appropriately under maritime law to defend its territory.
October 22, 2023: A Chinese Coast Guard vessel and an accompanying ship collide with a Philippine Coast Guard vessel and a military-operated supply ship near Second Thomas Shoal, with the Chinese Coast Guard saying the Philippine vessel had “intruded” into China’s territorial waters.
September 26, 2023: The Philippine Coast Guard announced that it had removed a floating barrier blocking the entrance to the Scarborough Shoal lagoon, which had been installed by China to prevent Philippine fishing boats from entering. China plans to replace the barrier later.
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