China has issued a sharp warning to the Philippines amid heightened friction following a clash last week in contested waters of the South China Sea.
“We warn the Philippine side to immediately stop any provocative acts before it’s too late,” Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said Thursday during a regular press briefing in Beijing.
Why It Matters
The warning came just nine days after Chinese coast guard vessels used water cannons while attempting to drive away a joint Philippine coast guard-fisheries mission that was delivering supplies to local fishermen near Scarborough Shoal. Manila released a photo showing broken glass on one vessel that caused minor injuries to a sailor, and said the incident also caused damage to the ship.
Scarborough, known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines and Huangyan Island in China, lies about 140 miles west of the main Philippine island of Luzon and within Manila’s exclusive economic zone. Beijing seized effective control of the rich fishing grounds after a 2012 standoff, and the shoal remains a flashpoint in the neighbors’ intensifying territorial dispute.
What To Know
Zhang reiterated China’s sovereignty claim over Scarborough, saying its legal status was settled “by a series of treaties.”
The Philippine supply convoy had “seriously violated China’s sovereignty, rights and interests, and severely undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea,” the official told reporters, adding that China’s response was “legitimate, lawful, professional, and restrained.”
The September 16 confrontation came less than a week after China declared a nature reserve covering the northeast side of the shoal. The move drew protests from Manila, Washington and several U.S. allies, with some analysts characterizing the announcement as a move by Beijing to further solidify its hold on the area.
Tensions have been running especially high since last month, when during a separate supply mission two navy destroyers and a coast guard cutter collided, leaving vessels damaged. Philippine officials believe at least two Chinese personnel died after being thrown overboard from the impact.
China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea overlap with those of several other governments beyond the Philippines, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. An international arbitral tribunal’s 2016 decision largely sided with Manila, rejecting Beijing’s claims. China maintains the ruling is invalid.
What People Are Saying
MaryKay Carlson, U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, in a September 16 X post: “The United States condemns China’s aggressive actions in the Philippine exclusive economic zone near Scarborough Reef. We commend the Philippine government and the Philippine Coast Guard for professionally exercising Philippine sovereign rights, protecting Filipino fisherfolk, and upholding maritime law for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, in a September 11 statement: “The Philippines urges China to respect the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the Philippines over Bajo de Masinloc, refrain from enforcing and immediately withdraw its State Council issuance and comply with its obligations under international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea […] “
What Happens Next
China is expected to continue pressing its claims within the Philippines’ maritime zone, setting the stage for further clashes. Manila has vowed to stand firm, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pledging not to yield “one square inch” of waters claimed by the Philippines.
