Video Shows US Ally Confronting China in Contested Waters

Newsweek

2 days ago

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The Philippine coast guard has released footage of a confrontation with its Chinese counterpart within the Southeast Asian country's maritime zone.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment via email.
Why It Matters
China claims the majority of the South China Sea as its territory, including areas that fall within the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan. A Hague-based arbitral tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines in 2016 and rejected China's claims. Beijing has called the decision illegitimate.
The further expansion of Chinese maritime forces into the Philippine EEZ has been met with pushback under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The resulting dramatic clashes have raised the specter of the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty, which could draw Washington into a conflict with the East Asian power.
A Chinese coast guard ship seen from the Port of Guangzhou in China's southern Guangdong province on February 22.
A Chinese coast guard ship seen from the Port of Guangzhou in China's southern Guangdong province on February 22.
Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images
What To Know
While much of the neighbors' dispute has centered on uninhabited reefs and sandbanks, since the start of the year China's coast guard has maintained a steady presence closer to Luzon, the major Philippine island that's home to the capital, Manila.
On Saturday, the Philippine coast guard deployed the 144-foot BRP Cabra to challenge the much larger CCG 3105—a Chinese coast guard cutter operating about 86 miles from Luzon's Zambales province and well within the country's 230-mile-wide EEZ, a spokesperson for the Philippine coast guard wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday.
Video shows the Philippine crew broadcasting radio warnings and ordering their Chinese counterpart to leave the EEZ, citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which both countries are signatories.
Later that day, the Cabra responded to a distress call from a fishing boat with engine trouble. The cutter towed the stricken vessel back to Zambales' Subic Port.
In Singapore, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with his Japanese, Australian and Philippine counterparts over the weekend on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit.
The meetings were held amid doubts following U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff broadsides and remarks questioning the utility of Washington's security commitments in the region. The officials voiced concern over China's growing assertiveness and stressed the importance of maintaining the status quo.
What People Are Saying
Jay Tarriela, a Philippine coast guard spokesperson, wrote on X: "The actions of BRP Cabra and its crew reflect the commitment of the [Philippine coast guard] to uphold the directive of the president, reinforcing the Philippines' rights in the West Philippine Sea."
Lin Jian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said during Tuesday's regular news conference: "The U.S., together with Japan, Australia, and the Philippines, brazenly spread the false accusation of 'China threat' at the Shangri-La Dialogue and sought to use the East China Sea issue and the South China Sea issue to sow discord and incite confrontation between regional countries. ... We will not flinch in defending China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests."
What Happens Next
China and the Philippines are firmly entrenched in their positions, and a diplomatic breakthrough appears unlikely anytime soon.
Speaking with Newsweek at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Sunday, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro criticized China's actions, saying the country suffered from a "trust deficit." He said Manila was working toward building an "international coalition to increase deterrence."