China’s ramming of Philippine ship stops short of invoking US defence treaty

The Philippine military has accused China of “intentional high-speed ramming” in the incident on Monday, in which eight Filipino sailors were injured and one suffered a severed thumb. China’s coastguard also reportedly seized two lifeboats used for the resupply missions from the Philippine vessel.

Manila and the United States are bound by the long-standing 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty (MDT) that calls on both sides to help each other in times of aggression by an external power.

In a statement on Tuesday, Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner said the Chinese coastguard “has no right or legal authority to interfere with our legitimate operations or damage our assets within our exclusive economic zone (EEZ)”.

“This reckless and aggressive behaviour has caused bodily harm and constitutes a blatant violation of international maritime law, Philippine sovereignty, and sovereign rights,” Brawner added, noting that China’s actions also “pose significant risks to regional stability”.

Despite the incident, Brawner said his side remained committed to upholding the rule of law and would collaborate with international partners “to ensure and secure peace and stability across the West Philippine Sea and the Indo-Pacific Region”.

Beijing has blamed Manila for the incident in the Second Thomas Shoal, a flashpoint in the South China Sea that has seen numerous clashes between both sides over territorial disputes. The Chinese said the Philippine vessel had “ignored repeated solemn warnings”.

Jose Antonio Custodio, a defence analyst and fellow at the Consortium of Indo-Pacific Researchers, told This Week in Asia that Monday’s incident did not warrant the activation of the MDT, noting the loss of a thumb of a sailor, though regrettable,