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MANILA – The latest skirmish in the South China Sea, which saw Chinese maritime forces forcibly boarding then disarming Philippine navy personnel on a resupply mission, has jolted the Philippine government and exposed fault lines in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s once-unified administration.
MANILA – Following last month’s near-fatal showdown over the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, the Philippines and China have resumed diplomatic contacts in a bid to defuse dangerously rising tensions in the South China Sea.
Observers point to the June 17 clash between China coastguard (CCG) personnel and Philippine Navy officers at the Second Thomas Shoal, which led to a Filipino officer losing a thumb, as a pivotal turning point in the conflict between Manila and Beijing over their overlapping maritime claims.
This year’s annual Balikatan joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States (April 22-May 10) broke much new ground. So did China’s response to it. The exercise areas and the arms deployed showed the linkage of South China Sea and Taiwan Strait hotspots. A surge in Chinese vessel presence in Manila’s western exclusive economic zone and another violent sea incident over a contested reef expose Beijing’s defiance amid the alliance’s show of force. The display of strength and the reaction to it escalated tensions in choppy waters and raised questions about the drill’s deterrent value. The symbolism and messages show how parties are digging in, accepting more risk and shrinking the space for diplomacy.
When the People’s Republic of China wants something that belongs to someone else, it is persistent and pushes to get what it wants. And it’s willing to use force if necessary. Japan knows the feeling, when it comes to its Senkaku Islands at the southern end of the Ryukyu chain. They are closer to Shanghai than to Tokyo. The PRC claims the islands as its own – referring to them as the Diaoyu Islands.
“We have filed over a hundred protests, we have already made a similar number of démarche,” Marcos told reporters. “We have to do more than just that.”
Jeffrey Facundo was giving evidence to a Senate inquiry into the June 17 incident at Second Thomas Shoal, where Manila has accused China’s coastguard of blocking resupply missions to a Philippine military outpost and boarding a Filipino vessel while wielding knives and an axe.
The near-fatal showdown between Chinese and Philippine maritime forces in the South China Sea last week raised fears of unwanted escalation in the disputed waters.