Published January 28, 2024
BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Jan 28 (Reuters) – The Chinese coastguard said it had made “temporary special arrangements” to allow the Philippines to deliver supplies to troops at a grounded World War Two-era vessel at a disputed reef.
The Chinese coastguard has previously deployed vessels to block missions by the Philippines to supply troops on the transport ship, which has become a military outpost at the Second Thomas Shoal, 190 km (118 miles) off the Philippine island of Palawan.
In a statement on its official WeChat account late on Saturday, the Chinese coastguard said it had allowed necessary supplies, but also that it would resolutely defend China’s sovereignty and maritime rights and interests at the Second Thomas Shoal and its adjacent waters.
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SOURCE: www.dailymail.co.uk
RELATED: As Philippines plans to upgrade South China Sea outposts, Beijing weighs options
A Chinese coastguard vessel manoeuvres beside the Philippine coastguard ship BRP Cabra as they approach the contested Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on November 10. Photo: AP
Published January 27, 2024
-China appears to be taking ‘wait and see’ approach after Manila says it will improve facilities for troops deployed on disputed reefs and islands
-Observers say Beijing could blockade Philippine ships – if the project goes ahead – but US involvement would complicate Chinese response
Beijing likely views Manila’s plan to upgrade its South China Sea outposts as a provocation, but it appears to be taking a “wait and see” approach rather than reacting swiftly, according to analysts.
Observers said Beijing would likely succeed in disrupting Manila’s project – if it indeed goes ahead – but any US involvement in helping the Philippines would complicate China’s available options.
In the past year, tensions have brewed between China and the Philippines over the Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed reef in the South China Sea, resulting in face-offs involving lasers, water cannons and collisions near several military outposts in the strategically important waterway.
Philippine military chief Romeo Brawner last week announced a plan to upgrade all nine territorial features Manila occupies in the region – mostly islands, shoals and reefs – by installing desalination machines and communications equipment and making other improvements for troops deployed there.
The military also plans to install desalination machines on the BRP Sierra Madre, an ageing warship that was deliberately grounded on the Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to assert Manila’s territorial claims. Brawner noted that the ship would not be fortified as part of the development plan.
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SOURCE: www.scmp.com
RELATED: Philippines’ efforts to build ‘united front’ against China misguided: expert
China Coast Guard vessel (left) lawfully monitors a Philippine Coast Guard vessel that illegally entered the waters adjacent to Ren’ai Jiao in China’s Nansha Islands on November 10, 2023. Photo: Visual News
Published January 26, 2024
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is reportedly set to sign an agreement on maritime cooperation with Vietnam during his visit to the country, a move that has been seen as building a “united front” against China over the South China Sea issue. However, analysts noted that any attempt to exclude China and form small cliques to deal with the South China Sea issue will only make the problem more complex.
They also warned that the Philippines’ current approach of inviting countries from outside the region to become involved in the South China Sea issue will only backfire and harm the country’s own national interests in the end.
Marcos Jr will visit Vietnam next week to strengthen relations, and during the visit the two countries are expected to sign a coast guard agreement, according to Philippines media reports.
News site Inquirer.net said that such an agreement will “allow both countries to better manage conflicts in the contested waters and conduct activities in accordance with the principles of international law, the national laws of each party, and international conventions to which both Vietnam and the Philippines are parties.”
Any type of maritime cooperation agreement has more symbolic than practical significance. If both parties wanted to sign it, they would have done so earlier, Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.
In response to Philippines media claims that this agreement would help Vietnam and the Philippines – which both have maritime disputes with China – to form a “united front,” Xu noted that there are also disputes over maritime issues between Vietnam and the Philippines and some of their problems “may be irreconcilable.”
