Philippine and Chinese Vessels Collide in South China Sea, Tensions Rise
Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson, Commodore Jay Tarriela, second from left, shows a video of the incident between the Chinese coast guard ship and the Philippine resupply vessels in the South China Sea on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A Chinese Coast Guard vessel collided with a Philippine boat on a resupply mission on October 22, 2023, this past Sunday morning. Following the collision, both sides have swapped accusations of blame, heightening tensions in the already-disputed South China Sea. The collision occurred around the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, a highly contested area that has been the site of multiple confrontations between the Philippines and China.
Second Thomas Shoal, called Re’nai Jiao by China and the Ayungin Shoal by the Philippines, is just one of the many underwater shoals claimed by both China and the Philippines in South China. In 1999, the Philippines intentionally grounded a deteriorating World War II-era ship, the Sierra Madre, to lay claim to the area. The ship now houses a contingent of Philippine marines and requires regular resupply missions to maintain. China has accused the Philippines of using the resupply trips as a way to bring in construction materials to build and strengthen their claim to the outpost, something the Philippines has denied.
The Philippine boat was on its way to one such resupply mission when it was blocked by the Chinese Coast Guard ship, leading to the collision.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines released a statement on their Facebook page following the incident, accusing the Chinese of violating Philippine sovereignty and calling their actions “dangerous, irresponsible, and illegal.”
China countered with the release of its own statement in which said that the Philippine ships ignored its multiple warnings and attempts to block the supply mission, claiming that the Chinese vessel was lawfully blocking “illegal” materials from being transported to Second Thomas Shoal.
Each time the Philippines sends boats with food, fuel, and other supplies to the Sierra Madre, China mobilizes to obstruct them, leading to repeated conflicts. Near collisions have happened repeatedly, such as when Chinese ships apparently attempted to stop a Philippine resupply mission in early October, but this is the first incident when vessels have actually hit each other. In early August, the Chinese also used a water cannon against Philippine boats attempting to approach Second Thomas Shoal, which similarly outraged the Philippine authorities.
A Chinese coast guard ship blocks a Philippine coast guard ship as it tries to get to Second Thomas Shoal in a resupply mission in early October 2023. (AP Photo/Joeal Calupitan, File)
The conflict over the Second Thomas Shoal is part of a greater territorial dispute over the South China Sea between the Philippines and China, one which has only continued to escalate. Just last month, members of the Philippine coast guard cut and removed Chinese barriers around the contested Scarborough Shoal.
The dispute is also dangerous in its potential to involve more international actors, particularly through the close relationship between the United States and the Philippines. The U.S.-Philippine Defense Treaty, signed in 1951, binds the two nations into defending each other if one is attacked, meaning the United States would be drawn into a potential conflict between the Philippines and China.
In a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in May, U.S. President Joe Biden said, “The United States also remains ironclad in our commitment to the defense of the Philippines, including the South China Sea, and we will continue to support the Philippines’ military modernization,” in no unclear terms reaffirming the United States’ commitment to its Southeast Asian partner. China has pushed back, warning the United States to avoid getting involved in its territorial disputes in the South China Sea.