August 2023 Second Thomas Shoal standoff
Part of South China Sea disputes

CCG 5305 fires a water cannon at BRP Malabrigo
DateAugust 5, 2023
Location
Near Second Thomas Shoal, Spratly Islands, South China Sea
Belligerents
 Philippines  China
Units involved

Philippine Coast Guard

 Philippine Navy

  • Unaizah May 1
  • Unaizah May 2

China Coast Guard[1]

  • CCG 3302
  • CCG 4203
  • CCG 5201
  • CCG 5304
  • CCG 5305
  • CCG 5402
Strength
2 patrol vessels
2 wooden supply boats		 6 cutters

On August 5, 2023, a China Coast Guard ship blocked a Philippine Coast Guard ship en-route to the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed Spratly Islands.

Background

The Second Thomas Shoal (named Ren'ai Jiao by China; Ayungin Shoal by the Philippines) is part of the Spratly Islands which is disputed territory claimed in full or in part by multiple countries including China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. The sea itself is claimed by China under its nine-dash map line claim.[2]

Second Thomas Shoal is occupied by the Philippines, which intentionally grounded the Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre on the shoal in 1999.[2]

Incident

On August 5, 2023, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy were heading to the Second Thomas Shoal to conduct what it describes as a routine resupply mission for personnel aboard the BRP Sierra Madre marooned at the feature. The mission involved two wooden boats of the Philippine Navy; Unaizah May 1 (UM1) and Unaizah May 2 escorted by the Coast Guard's BRP Malabrigo and BRP Cabra. The Navy purposely uses civilian-type ships for the resupply to avoid sending a "wrong message" that the mission is of military nature.[3]

The China Coast Guard (CCG) has impended the Philippine ships. UM1 was able to provide provisions for Filipino personnel aboard Sierra Madre after successfully outmaneuvering a CCG ship. UM2 was deterred by another CCG ship which fired water cannons towards it. The CCG were allegedly backed by Chinese maritime militia vessels.[3]

China claims that the Philippines is sending construction materials to reinforce Sierra Madre, an activity which it considers as illegal.[4]

Reactions

China Foreign Ministry

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the Philippines to work with China to resolve the South China Sea dispute in response to the Second Thomas Shoal incident. The Chinese foreign ministry has also tried to dissuade the United States from interfering in the territorial dispute.[5][6]

International

The United States reaffirmed its commitment to its alliance with the Philippines in response to the incident. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union also issued statements condemning China.[7]

Aftermath

Claims against Filipino diplomats

The Department of Foreign Affairs supposedly issued a memorandum ordering the recall of Jose Manuel Romualdez, Ambassador of the Philippines to the United States due to bribery and corruption allegations from an anonymous complaint. Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo denied such order exists and Romualdez claimed that China is launching a smear campaign to damage Philippine–United States relations.[8]

Alleged Philippine promise

On August 8, 2023, China brought up an alleged explicit promise made by the Philippines to remove Sierra Madre from the Second Thomas Shoal.[4][9]

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines insists that the grounded ship shall remain a "permanent station".[9] On August 9, President Bongbong Marcos issued a statement that he is "not aware of any such arrangement or agreement" while adding that if such exist, that he rescind such agreement.[10]

In response to request to show proof of such agreement, China said that there is no point in doing so following the rescission.[11]

On August 14, 2023,[12] Manila Times columnist Rigoberto Tiglao claimed that the alleged pledge was indeed made albeit "solely verbal". Tiglao wrote that such pledge was referenced in several documents including confidential official memoranda from the DFA.[13]

Senators Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito said that there was no such deal made during the administration of their father Joseph Estrada.[14] The former had prior recent correspondence with Orly Mercado who was the Defense Secretary during the Estrada presidency.[15] He also pointed out that the promise is "illogical" given that President Estrada himself instructed the Armed Forces of the Philippines to ground Sierra Madre as a move for the Philippines to assert its claim over the feature. He challenged China to name the specific Filipino official who made the supposed pledge.[16]

Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo also categorically denied making any such promise during her administration.[17]

The National Security Council insist that China is using "political operators" to undermine the Philippine's position on the South China Sea dispute, naming the alleged promise as one of China's methods of "psychological warfare" to sway Filipino public opinion on the matter.[18]

Vietnam

Three Filipino critics on China's territorial claims were supposedly requested in July to publish material against Vietnam regarding the Southeast Asian country's alleged militarization of the South China Sea. The three are Jay Batongbacal (UP Institute of Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea head), Antonio Carpio (Retired Supreme Court Justice), and Renato De Castro (De La Salle University international studies professor). Batongbacal speculated that its part of China's "divide and conquer" strategy, Carpio said its meant to redirect the Filipinos' negative sentiment against China to Vietnam. The three were allegedly promised to be compensated.[18]

Other media outlets were also approached and requested to write critical material against Vietnam.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "VIDEO: China Coast Guard Blast Philippine Military Resupply with Water Cannons". USNI News. August 7, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "What's behind rising China-Philippines tensions in the South China Sea?". Al Jazeera. August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Mangosing, Frances (August 12, 2023). "Eyewitness to cat and (wet) mouse game in WPS". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "China urges the Philippines to tow away military vessel "grounded" at Ren'ai Jiao-Xinhua". Xinhua. August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  5. ↑ "China calls on Philippines to jointly seek effective way to control situation in South China Sea-Xinhua". Xinhua. August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ "China urges U.S. to stop utilizing South China Sea issue to sow discord-Xinhua". Xinhua. August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  7. ↑ Nakamura, Ryo (August 9, 2023). "U.S. vows to defend Philippine boats in South China Sea". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  8. ↑ Lazaro, Jacob (August 19, 2023). "Romualdez: We confirm smear job vs PH envoys". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Nepomuceno, Priam; Rocamora, Joyce Ann (August 8, 2023). "PH to China: Sierra Madre 'permanent station' in Ayungin Shoal". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  10. ↑ Ul Khaliq, Riyaz (August 9, 2023). "Philippines' Marcos says will rescind any agreement with China on rusting ship in South China Sea". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  11. ↑ Nodalo, Tristan (August 11, 2023). "China says no point in showing proof of Ayungin Shoal deal if Marcos already rescinded it". CNN Philippines. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  12. ↑ Tiglao, Rigoberto (August 14, 2023). "PH did promise to remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin". The Manila Times. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Estrada camp: 'Illogical' for Erap to vow BRP Sierra Madre removal". GMA News. August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  14. ↑ Torregoza, Hannah (August 14, 2023). "Jinggoy, JV: 'Erap' made no promise to remove BRP Sierra Madre". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Sen. Estrada: No deal to remove BRP Sierra Madre during my father's presidency". CNN Philippines. August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Sen. Estrada dares China to reveal who made promise about leaving Ayungin". ABS-CBN News. August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  17. ↑ Cabalza, Dexter; Aurelio, Julie (August 20, 2023). "Arroyo: I never promised to remove BRP Sierra Madre". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 Mangosing, Frances (August 18, 2023). "China using 'operators' to divide PH on WPS — NSC". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
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