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Time of India
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
China gets recklessly violent in the South China Sea
Two Chinese warships collided in the South China Sea on 11 August, as the country worryingly ramps up pressure on and bullying of the Philippines. The incident occurred within 10 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal , which lies within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but which China illegally seized in 2012. The embarrassing incident saw the Type 056 corvette '3104' from the China Coast Guard (CCG) ram bow-first into the side of the People's Liberation Army Navy's ( PLAN ) Type 052D destroyer Guilin ('164'). The collision completely stove in the bow of the CCG corvette, and several Chinese coastguardsmen had been standing on the bow of the vessel just before the accident. Considering that another Chinese vessel conducted a grid search in the area immediately after the collision, it can be assumed that at least one, and possibly several, Chinese sailors were lost. The PCG boat offered to render help, but it was rebuffed by China. At the time, the two Chinese vessels were chasing and harassing BRP Suluan ('4406'), a much smaller 321-tonne vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). Suluan had been manoeuvring away from the chasing CCG vessel to avoid its deployed water cannon. The Philippine vessel had been responding to messages for help from Philippine fishermen, as China performed hazardous manoeuvres and harassed them as part of its blockade of the illegally occupied Scarborough Shoal. Importantly, the whole incident was caught by the PCG on video from start to finish, so China cannot deny the facts of the accident. Nonetheless, this did not prevent Beijing and its state-controlled media apparatus from suppressing the news of the self-inflicted collision from its own domestic readership. It used carefully edited video clips or photos to portray events inaccurately. Live Events As for international audiences, China's propaganda machine went into overdrive to push its own false narrative. As just one example, the Chinese Global Times tabloid gathered a coterie of "experts" to present a united story. One of these so-called Chinese experts claimed, "The Philippines is clearly the provocateur, yet it has carefully planned and prepared various video materials each time, attempting to portray itself as a victim in the international arena to garner sympathy." In other words, he was claiming that the Philippines had set up its cameras and "orchestrated" the whole accident and "force" the Chinese ships to collide! In yet another moronic claim, the article blamed the small Philippine vessel for dicing with death by taking on China. Far more accurately, the Philippine Department of National Defence described the incident as "atrocious and inane behaviour" on China's part. The Philippine position was soon backed up by official statements from the likes of Australia, Japan and the USA, all accusing China of reckless and dangerous behaviour at sea. This deadly incident brings into sharp relief a number of important points. Ray Powell, Director of SeaLight and Project Lead for Project Myoushu at Stanford University 's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, discerned eight critical points that need highlighting. Firstly, Powell said, this was a "major escalation by China in an ongoing and increasingly high-stakes gray zone war over the South China Sea". Previously, China has relied upon CCG "law enforcement" vessels and maritime militia - sailors moonlighting as fishermen but actually contracted to serve government purposes - to stake its claims. The fact that a PLAN vessel was fully engaged in harassing the PCG vessel, therefore, represents a very serious escalation. Secondly, Powell views this as "the culmination of China's 13-year takeover of Scarborough Shoal". In mid-2024, China began enforcing a 25-30nm exclusion zone around Scarborough Shoal, even though it lies within the Philippine EEZ. Thirdly, this was "a bellicose message that Beijing is no longer tolerating Philippine vessels approaching the shoal at all". Philippine fishermen have used this shoal for innumerable generations, plus the Permanent Court of Arbitration confirmed in its 2016 ruling that China has no territorial claims there. Indeed, that case saw the court of state that China, "through the operation of its official vessels at Scarborough Shoal from May 2012 onwards, unlawfully prevented Filipino fishermen from engaging in traditional fishing" there. In an official statement, Grand Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesman for the PCG, fingered the real culprit. "The Philippine Coast Guard's maritime patrols, including the BRP Suluan's mission to support local fishermen, are fully in line with international law and occur within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. In contrast, China's aggressive presence in this area is illegal, as ruled by the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration award, which invalidated Beijing's expansive claims and affirmed the Philippines' rights in its EEZ. China's continued disregard for this binding ruling only underscores its violation of UNCLOS." This latter acronym is a reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; Beijing is a signatory, but it paradoxically breaks its rules. Next up, Powell believes this collision reflected "Beijing's growing maritime militancy. The behaviour of China's destroyer in particular illustrates this fact." The destroyer's captain, perhaps at the urging of the political commissar aboard, felt obliged to intervene in a supposedly law enforcement matter. Even after the collision, the destroyer continued pursuing the 44m-long Philippine patrol boat, instead of rendering aid to its compatriots. In fact, the less manoeuvrable Chinese destroyer was not far from slicing through the Philippine vessel either, as it attempted to close a pincer. Such violent disregard for safety at sea indicates a hardening stance from China, as Beijing becomes more abusive in its attempts to steal territory from the Philippines. The fifth point that Powell made was how this was "a reminder that the Philippine Coast Guard routinely faces extreme peril with impressive courage and professionalism". Overmatched in vessel numbers and size, and facing such violent behaviour, the PCG is not cowed. Powell even declared the PCG "may be the bravest coast guard on the planet today!" Continuing on, the Director of SeaLight said this incident "is a testament to the plight of the Philippines and the disintegration of the rules-based order that kept the world relatively peaceful for the past 80 years". Just as has occurred in the Crimea and Ukraine, China is a hostile, imperial power attempting to steal territory from a smaller and weaker nation. The seventh point noted by Powell is the absolute absurdity of China's state propaganda. The country roundly blamed the Philippines for the accident and even demanded compensation for the ineptitude of the Chinese captains. Poking holes in this Chinese narrative, Collin Koh, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, noted: "The video only lays bare PRC's aggressive behaviour in a foreign country's exclusive economic zone. And that aggressive behaviour was the cause of the fratricidal collision between the PLA Navy and CCG ships. You only have yourself to blame..." Tarriela said it was "absurd for China to claim the Philippines is provoking collisions when common sense - and the sheer size disparity - makes that impossible". Was a 44.5m-long Philippine vessel provoking a Chinese 90m corvette and a 157m destroyer? China's claims are laughable. "Video evidence shows the Chinese ships chasing the smaller Philippine vessel at high speeds, leading to their own mishap - not any 'reckless manoeuvres' from the Philippines," Tarriela pointed out. Finally, Powell said, "This is a sobering reminder that China's belligerence is bringing us perilously close to the brink. It's really not hard to imagine how this could have gone quite a different direction. Had the destroyer struck the much smaller Philippine ship instead of its own, how many Filipinos would have died? And if your coast guard ship is rammed by a destroyer while approaching a maritime feature that has essentially been stolen from you, does that constitute an 'armed attack'?" Indeed, would such an incident invoke the application of the Philippine-US Mutual Defence Treaty? Incidentally, in a show of force, the US destroyer USS Higgins was in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal on 13 August. Tarriela also highlighted how Filipino fishermen have been adversely affected by Chinese blockades and harassment in their traditional fishing grounds. The Philippine government must therefore support them with supplies. "These are not scripted actors but real people whose livelihoods depend on these waters, unlike China's well-documented use of maritime militia - disguised as civilian fishing fleets - to assert control and intimidate others in the region. Manila's mission was humanitarian, not provocative, and even offered medical aid to the Chinese crew after their self-inflicted collision, which was ignored." Furthermore, Tarriela raised another point that Powell did not have on his list - the reckless seamanship shown by China. "China must admit to the world that the collision between its own PLAN destroyer and CCG cutter was entirely the result of unprofessional, reckless behaviour on their part, including high-speed pursuits, dangerous blocking attempts and blatant violations of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREG). Experts have pointed to poor coordination between Chinese forces as a key factor, with the destroyer slamming into its own coast guard ship while trying to intimidate the BRP Suluan. This incident highlights Beijing's disregard for maritime safety and escalatory tactics, not any Philippine malice." The at-sea collision is very embarrassing for China. Indeed, it calls into question the seamanship of Chinese forces. Not only that, but it demonstrates that the CCG is not there at all to maintain safety at sea, but rather to threaten others dangerously and to enforce illegal Chinese territorial claims. Following the humiliating crash, CCG spokesperson Gan Yu said the coast guard had taken necessary measures in accordance with the law, including monitoring and blocking, to expel Philippine vessels. Without a trace of irony, Gan claimed China's operations were "professional, standardised and legitimate". One shudders to think of the consequences if Chinese law enforcement considers such reckless seamanship as "professional". Unfortunately, this was the most serious incident in the South China Sea since 17 June 2024, when a Philippine sailor suffered severe injury after Chinese forces blocked a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines maintains a garrison aboard the beached ship BRP Sierra Madre. Unfortunately, this latest serious incident near Scarborough Shoal portends growing risk in the South China Sea. What is more, after the loss of face engendered by its reckless seamanship and bullying, China can be expected to further up the ante. After handing the Philippines a moral victory, it will now want to sternly signal a position of strength to Manila. This creates a dilemma, however, because next time it may be a Chinese ship colliding with a Philippine one and causing loss of life. The Philippines and the USA must be ready for such a scenario.
News18
5 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
China gets recklessly violent in the South China Sea
Hong Kong, August 19 (ANI): Two Chinese warships collided in the South China Sea on 11 August, as the country worryingly ramps up pressure on and bullying of the Philippines. The incident occurred within 10 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal, which lies within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but which China illegally seized in 2012. The embarrassing incident saw the Type 056 corvette '3104' from the China Coast Guard (CCG) ram bow-first into the side of the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) Type 052D destroyer Guilin ('164'). The collision completely stove in the bow of the CCG corvette, and several Chinese coastguardsmen had been standing on the bow of the vessel just before the accident. Considering that another Chinese vessel conducted a grid search in the area immediately after the collision, it can be assumed that at least one, and possibly several, Chinese sailors were lost. The PCG boat offered to render help, but it was rebuffed by China. At the time, the two Chinese vessels were chasing and harassing BRP Suluan ('4406'), a much smaller 321-tonne vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). Suluan had been manoeuvring away from the chasing CCG vessel to avoid its deployed water cannon. The Philippine vessel had been responding to messages for help from Philippine fishermen, as China performed hazardous manoeuvres and harassed them as part of its blockade of the illegally occupied Scarborough Shoal. Importantly, the whole incident was caught by the PCG on video from start to finish, so China cannot deny the facts of the accident. Nonetheless, this did not prevent Beijing and its state-controlled media apparatus from suppressing the news of the self-inflicted collision from its own domestic readership. It used carefully edited video clips or photos to portray events inaccurately. As for international audiences, China's propaganda machine went into overdrive to push its own false narrative. As just one example, the Chinese Global Times tabloid gathered a coterie of 'experts" to present a united story. One of these so-called Chinese experts claimed, 'The Philippines is clearly the provocateur, yet it has carefully planned and prepared various video materials each time, attempting to portray itself as a victim in the international arena to garner sympathy." In other words, he was claiming that the Philippines had set up its cameras and 'orchestrated" the whole accident and 'force" the Chinese ships to collide! In yet another moronic claim, the article blamed the small Philippine vessel for dicing with death by taking on China. Far more accurately, the Philippine Department of National Defence described the incident as 'atrocious and inane behaviour" on China's part. The Philippine position was soon backed up by official statements from the likes of Australia, Japan and the USA, all accusing China of reckless and dangerous behaviour at sea. This deadly incident brings into sharp relief a number of important points. Ray Powell, Director of SeaLight and Project Lead for Project Myoushu at Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, discerned eight critical points that need highlighting. Firstly, Powell said, this was a 'major escalation by China in an ongoing and increasingly high-stakes gray zone war over the South China Sea". Previously, China has relied upon CCG 'law enforcement" vessels and maritime militia – sailors moonlighting as fishermen but actually contracted to serve government purposes – to stake its claims. The fact that a PLAN vessel was fully engaged in harassing the PCG vessel, therefore, represents a very serious escalation. Secondly, Powell views this as 'the culmination of China's 13-year takeover of Scarborough Shoal". In mid-2024, China began enforcing a 25-30nm exclusion zone around Scarborough Shoal, even though it lies within the Philippine EEZ. Thirdly, this was 'a bellicose message that Beijing is no longer tolerating Philippine vessels approaching the shoal at all". Philippine fishermen have used this shoal for innumerable generations, plus the Permanent Court of Arbitration confirmed in its 2016 ruling that China has no territorial claims there. Indeed, that case saw the court of state that China, 'through the operation of its official vessels at Scarborough Shoal from May 2012 onwards, unlawfully prevented Filipino fishermen from engaging in traditional fishing" there. In an official statement, Grand Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesman for the PCG, fingered the real culprit. 'The Philippine Coast Guard's maritime patrols, including the BRP Suluan's mission to support local fishermen, are fully in line with international law and occur within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. In contrast, China's aggressive presence in this area is illegal, as ruled by the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration award, which invalidated Beijing's expansive claims and affirmed the Philippines' rights in its EEZ. China's continued disregard for this binding ruling only underscores its violation of UNCLOS." This latter acronym is a reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; Beijing is a signatory, but it paradoxically breaks its rules. Next up, Powell believes this collision reflected 'Beijing's growing maritime militancy. The behaviour of China's destroyer in particular illustrates this fact." The destroyer's captain, perhaps at the urging of the political commissar aboard, felt obliged to intervene in a supposedly law enforcement matter. Even after the collision, the destroyer continued pursuing the 44m-long Philippine patrol boat, instead of rendering aid to its compatriots. In fact, the less manoeuvrable Chinese destroyer was not far from slicing through the Philippine vessel either, as it attempted to close a pincer. Such violent disregard for safety at sea indicates a hardening stance from China, as Beijing becomes more abusive in its attempts to steal territory from the Philippines. The fifth point that Powell made was how this was 'a reminder that the Philippine Coast Guard routinely faces extreme peril with impressive courage and professionalism". Overmatched in vessel numbers and size, and facing such violent behaviour, the PCG is not cowed. Powell even declared the PCG 'may be the bravest coast guard on the planet today!" Continuing on, the Director of SeaLight said this incident 'is a testament to the plight of the Philippines and the disintegration of the rules-based order that kept the world relatively peaceful for the past 80 years". Just as has occurred in the Crimea and Ukraine, China is a hostile, imperial power attempting to steal territory from a smaller and weaker nation. The seventh point noted by Powell is the absolute absurdity of China's state propaganda. The country roundly blamed the Philippines for the accident and even demanded compensation for the ineptitude of the Chinese captains. Poking holes in this Chinese narrative, Collin Koh, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, noted: 'The video only lays bare PRC's aggressive behaviour in a foreign country's exclusive economic zone. And that aggressive behaviour was the cause of the fratricidal collision between the PLA Navy and CCG ships. You only have yourself to blame…" Tarriela said it was 'absurd for China to claim the Philippines is provoking collisions when common sense – and the sheer size disparity – makes that impossible". Was a 44.5m-long Philippine vessel provoking a Chinese 90m corvette and a 157m destroyer? China's claims are laughable. 'Video evidence shows the Chinese ships chasing the smaller Philippine vessel at high speeds, leading to their own mishap – not any 'reckless manoeuvres' from the Philippines," Tarriela pointed out. Finally, Powell said, 'This is a sobering reminder that China's belligerence is bringing us perilously close to the brink. It's really not hard to imagine how this could have gone quite a different direction. Had the destroyer struck the much smaller Philippine ship instead of its own, how many Filipinos would have died? And if your coast guard ship is rammed by a destroyer while approaching a maritime feature that has essentially been stolen from you, does that constitute an 'armed attack'?" Indeed, would such an incident invoke the application of the Philippine-US Mutual Defence Treaty? Incidentally, in a show of force, the US destroyer USS Higgins was in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal on 13 August. Tarriela also highlighted how Filipino fishermen have been adversely affected by Chinese blockades and harassment in their traditional fishing grounds. The Philippine government must therefore support them with supplies. 'These are not scripted actors but real people whose livelihoods depend on these waters, unlike China's well-documented use of maritime militia – disguised as civilian fishing fleets – to assert control and intimidate others in the region. Manila's mission was humanitarian, not provocative, and even offered medical aid to the Chinese crew after their self-inflicted collision, which was ignored." Furthermore, Tarriela raised another point that Powell did not have on his list – the reckless seamanship shown by China. 'China must admit to the world that the collision between its own PLAN destroyer and CCG cutter was entirely the result of unprofessional, reckless behaviour on their part, including high-speed pursuits, dangerous blocking attempts and blatant violations of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREG). Experts have pointed to poor coordination between Chinese forces as a key factor, with the destroyer slamming into its own coast guard ship while trying to intimidate the BRP Suluan. This incident highlights Beijing's disregard for maritime safety and escalatory tactics, not any Philippine malice." The at-sea collision is very embarrassing for China. Indeed, it calls into question the seamanship of Chinese forces. Not only that, but it demonstrates that the CCG is not there at all to maintain safety at sea, but rather to threaten others dangerously and to enforce illegal Chinese territorial claims. Following the humiliating crash, CCG spokesperson Gan Yu said the coast guard had taken necessary measures in accordance with the law, including monitoring and blocking, to expel Philippine vessels. Without a trace of irony, Gan claimed China's operations were 'professional, standardised and legitimate". One shudders to think of the consequences if Chinese law enforcement considers such reckless seamanship as 'professional". Unfortunately, this was the most serious incident in the South China Sea since 17 June 2024, when a Philippine sailor suffered severe injury after Chinese forces blocked a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines maintains a garrison aboard the beached ship BRP Sierra Madre. Unfortunately, this latest serious incident near Scarborough Shoal portends growing risk in the South China Sea. What is more, after the loss of face engendered by its reckless seamanship and bullying, China can be expected to further up the ante. After handing the Philippines a moral victory, it will now want to sternly signal a position of strength to Manila. This creates a dilemma, however, because next time it may be a Chinese ship colliding with a Philippine one and causing loss of life. The Philippines and the USA must be ready for such a scenario. (ANI)
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Increased China presence in WPS bid to cover up ‘embarrassing' mishap —NMC
The increased Chinese presence around Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal could be an attempt to protect their image after the recent collision between ships of the China Coast Guard (CCG) and the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy), the National Maritime Council said Sunday. The Philippine Navy confirmed that as of August 14, China has deployed seven CCG vessels and 13 Chinese maritime militia vessels in the area, compared with the Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG) lone vessel the BRP Teresa Magbanua. 'Siguro ito yung isa nilang pamamaraan para baligtarin 'yung nangyari, kasi very embarrassing 'yun sa kanila and they want again to project na they're in control para matabunan 'yung issue,' NMC spokesperson Undersecretary Alexander Lopez said in a report on GMA's '24 Oras Weekend' on Sunday. (Maybe this is one of their ways to twist what happened because that was very embarrassing for them, and they want to project again that they're in control to cover up the issue.) This comes as the CCG vessel 3104 and PLA Navy ship 164 collided approximately 10.5 nautical miles east of Bajo de Masinloc on August 11, after chasing the Philippines' BRP Suluan at high speed. China has yet to confirm if there have been any fatalities from the collision. PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said China may have also deployed anti-drone technology in the area, as Philippine officials have failed to launch drones in the area. 'We were not able to launch our drones. It's because, we are suspecting, that the Chinese have jammed the signal,' he said in the same report. 'We always fly our drone especially if we are subjected to dangerous maneuvers, because we have to document it and then submit it to the National Task Force and then at the same time, of course, release it to the public,' he added. The Philippines has maintained that the Bajo de Masinloc is part of its territory, as ruled by an international tribunal in 2016, which also invalidated Beijing's massive South China Sea claims. China has refused to acknowledge such ruling, and its government in 2022 claimed that it will continue to adhere to what it described as a 'friendly consultation' with the Philippines after several Chinese vessels have been found 'swarming' areas in the West Philippine Sea. The Philippines has already filed dozens of diplomatic protests against China regarding the territorial dispute under the administration of President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA Integrated News
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business Insider
China's catastrophic South China Sea crash shows how dangerous high-risk moves at sea can be
China's ship collision in the South China Sea is the result of dangerous behavior at sea, experts said. High-risk maneuvers are becoming more common in the strategic waterway. The latest incident stood out because of the involvement of a Chinese destroyer. The collision of two Chinese vessels in the South China Sea this week was dramatic — and, according to China watchers, predictable. For years, China's military, coast guard, and maritime militia have been accused of using aggressive tactics such as close-range intercepts, blocking runs, chases, and water cannon harassment to assert control over contested waters. These maneuvers make accidents like Monday's crash, which saw a destroyer crush a coast guard cutter, much more likely. "It is part of China's standard operating procedure to intentionally engage in unsafe behavior and create risks of collision at sea and in the air," said Gregory Poling, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank and director of the Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative there. A disastrous collision On Monday, the Philippine Coast Guard shared footage of China Coast Guard vessel 3104 in hot pursuit of the Philippine patrol ship BRP Suluan at high speeds while spraying a water cannon about 11 nautical miles east of the contested Scarborough Shoal. As the cutter closed in on the BRP Suluan, a larger Chinese Navy destroyer crossed the bow of the cutter, which, unable to maneuver out of the way, violently slammed into the warship. The video showed both Chinese vessels afterward with significant hull damage, though only the coast guard ship was effectively crippled. Before the crash, the destroyer and cutter appeared to criss-cross in the water repeatedly in their pursuit of the Philippine vessel. Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said that the Chinese coast guard vessel "performed a risky maneuver," leading to the impact. He said the damage to the Chinese cutter's forecastle rendered it unseaworthy. In the aftermath, China watchers said the incident was caused by reckless Chinese actions in the South China Sea, pointing to a pattern of behavior that raises the risk of collisions. China has been repeatedly accused of violating the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. "When the operational culture of a navy/coast guard is to habitually violate COLREGS and norms of professionalism, this is the tragic result," Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, wrote of Monday's collision on social media. "Normally, such an incident would lead to reassessments of operational safety to ensure such accidents do not happen again," he said, adding that he doesn't expect that to happen here. Increasingly dangerous, high-risk maneuvers at sea Water cannon blasts. Close-quarters tailing. High-speed chases and cut-offs. As China has sought to enforce its contested claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea, which are considered to be inconsistent with international law, the Philippines has documented repeated incidents of Chinese coast guard ships harassing vessels. Some confrontations have escalated to the point of injuries among Philippine crews. Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at Defense Priorities and the director of the China Initiative at Brown University's Watson Institute, told Business Insider that these risky activities have seemed to increase in the last decade, which "partly reflects the fact that China has more and more maritime and aerial might to flaunt in these situations." Some of these actions — such as water cannon blasts or unsafe maneuvers — are known as "grey zone" tactics: operations that assert control without crossing the threshold into open conflict. But because they don't follow established maritime safety protocols, experts say, they raise the likelihood of accidents and miscalculations. "Water cannons, dangerous ramming maneuvers, and other unsafe actions have become the new normal," said Christopher Sharman, a retired US Navy captain and the director of the China Maritime Studies Institute at the US Naval War College, who spoke to Business Insider in his own capacity. Why this clash stands out This week's severe crash reflects an escalation, China watchers said, most notably because it involved a Type 052D destroyer, a multi-role guided-missile ship, rather than the usual suspects. In previous incidents, China has often relied solely on its coast guard, or even the maritime militia masquerading as a fishing fleet, for assertive acts in the South China Sea, leaving naval forces on standby. Under Chinese law, the coast guard has broad authority to enforce maritime authority and sovereignty. Keeping warships out of physical contact lowers the chance of miscalculation that could escalate quickly. The Chinese Navy destroyer's involvement in this clash, which saw the warship continue its pursuit of the smaller Philippine ship even after it crushed the Coast Guard vessel, stands out. This is a rarer and riskier choice operationally that signals the contests in the South China Sea, long considered a flash point, are becoming more dangerous. Sharman said its "deployment appears to be a calculated political decision from Beijing," one potentially aimed at punishing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos after his comments last week that Manila would be drawn into any conflict involving Taiwan due to its proximity to the island and the substantial number of Philippine workers there. Either way, the warship's direct involvement suggests China may now be willing to risk high-value assets in front-line harassment roles. Had the Chinese destroyer smashed into the Philippine vessel instead of the Chinese coast guard cutter, this incident could have kicked off a major conflict, Goldstein said. The Philippines is an important US ally and defense partner. It could have also resulted in a significant loss of life. It's unclear whether any Chinese coast guard personnel were injured or killed. In the video, a few sailors could be seen on the bow of the 3104 just before it hit the destroyer. Tarriela said the Philippine crew offered to assist in the search and rescue. China did not respond. China has made no official statement on the collision, the state of its vessels, or whether there were any casualties. The Chinese embassy in the US referred Business Insider to a recent foreign ministry press briefing, during which the ministry spokesman accused the Philippines of engaging in "hazardous maneuvers," such as "high-speed charges and sharp turns toward the bows of Chinese ships, leading to a complex and tense situation." What's next The US and its allies have documented hundreds of unsafe Chinese actions in the air and at sea, from chases to clashes to unsafe intercepts, over the years. One particularly notable incident at sea occurred in 2018 and involved the US Navy. That year, a Chinese navy destroyer came dangerously close to colliding with a US Navy warship, coming within just 45 yards of the American ship after aggressively closing with it in the South China Sea. The US said at that time that China was engaging in "increasingly aggressive maneuvers." Now, questions remain on whether China will reassess its tactics to avoid future clashes. Some China watchers note that because so many of China's efforts have been viewed as successful within Beijing, China may double down on its current strategy and continue its pressure campaign. Following the crash on Monday, a Chinese fighter jet engaged in what the Philippines characterized as "dangerous" moves near one of its aircraft. "If China doesn't change its behavior," Poling said, "one of the accidents will cause a fatality, which could spark military escalation that no side wants."
Filipino Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Filipino Times
AFP chief slams China for deploying warship to Scarborough Shoal
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. on Tuesday accused China of violating a 2012 agreement by sending a warship to Scarborough Shoal. Brawner recalled the standoff 13 years ago when both countries agreed to withdraw their naval vessels from the disputed area. 'Hindi ba nagkaroon po ng standoff noong 2012, kung maalala ninyo. Ang usapan is aalis ang Philippine Navy at Chinese Navy. Tayo, umalis tayo. Sumunod tayo sa usapan,' Brawner said in an ambush interview. 'Hindi sila sumunod. So it's really a violation of the agreement that we had in 2012,' he added. Brawner noted that while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the AFP to maintain the 'moral high ground' and avoid aggressive tactics, the presence of a Chinese warship marks a different level of provocation. The AFP is set to meet with Marcos and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to discuss possible responses, including a joint sail with other countries or deploying a Philippine warship to the shoal. The latest tensions follow Monday's incident when Chinese vessels allegedly harassed Philippine ships during a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and PCG mission to distribute aid to local fishermen. The PCG reported that China's navy ship PLAN 164 and Coast Guard vessel 3104 collided while pursuing BRP Suluan, damaging both Chinese and Philippine ships. China's Foreign Ministry reiterated its claim over Scarborough Shoal, which lies 124 nautical miles off Zambales and within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, and urged Manila to 'stop the infringement and provocative activities.' Scarborough Shoal, or Bajo de Masinloc, has been under increased Chinese control since the 2012 standoff. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines, declaring Beijing's expansive South China Sea claims baseless, a ruling China has refused to recognize.
