The dispute between China and the United States' ally, the Philippines, is rapidly escalating due to an unusual military outpost: a World War II warship that not only leaks water, but is also riddled with holes and rust, parked on a reef in the South China Sea (referred to as the South China Sea by China).
This dilapidated warship called the "BRPSierra Madre" and its Marine Squadron are defending the Philippines' sovereignty over the Second Thomas Sandbank (known as Ren'ai Reef in China), which is about 100 miles from its west coast. Twenty five years ago, the Philippines docked this ship on this reef to prevent China from expanding its control over the South China Sea.
The Philippines regularly provides supplies to the Marines on board, while China tries to find ways to increase the difficulty of their supplies. The Chinese maritime police once used military grade lasers to irradiate Philippine ships and fired water cannons at them. On Sunday, a Chinese coast guard ship and a maritime militia ship collided with a Philippine ship bound for the Second Thomas Sands.
This matter is of great importance, not only for the Philippines, but also for the United States. If tensions continue to escalate, it may drag the United States down. There is a security alliance between the United States and the Philippines, which is part of a decades old joint defense treaty.
So far, the United States has shown strong support for its Southeast Asian ally, the Philippines, and is attempting to prevent further escalation of the situation between China and the Philippines. The USS Dewey destroyer of the US Navy was moored within sight of the location of the Philippine ship collision on Sunday, equivalent to being on site, but at a certain distance. A spokesperson for the Philippine Armed Forces said that a US patrol aircraft was present during a supply operation last month.
On Monday, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke to Philippine counterparts and stated that the United States' commitment to the Philippines' alliance is firm and firm. The US State Department has called China's actions dangerous and illegal, and other US officials have also made such comments. A spokesperson for the US Seventh Fleet did not comment on specific military operations, but stated that all activities of the fleet were coordinated with the Philippines.
The Philippines is adjacent to the South China Sea (also known as the South China Sea in China) and faces Taiwan across the sea, making it a global fortress to balance China's power. As the maritime friction between the Philippines and China intensifies, the United States vows to lend a helping hand when the Philippines is attacked. Wall Street Journal reporter Shelby Holliday went to the Philippines to learn about the country's strategic importance and its increasingly close relationship with the United States. Cover image source: David Fang
The rising tensions in the region come at a time when Manila is dealing with an urgent issue: the Madre Mountains have been damaged after nearly 25 years of wind and sun exposure. The Philippines is increasing its efforts to repair the ship, but it will not stay there forever in perfect condition - some believe it has not had much time left.
Philippine Admiral RommelOng said, "You can only fix so much. At some point, it will still collapse." Ong, who served as the Deputy Commander of the Philippine Navy and retired in 2019.
If the ship begins to disintegrate, the Chinese military is likely to take action to control the second Thomas sandbar and squeeze the Philippines out. Jay Batongbacal, a maritime expert at the University of the Philippines Law School, said that by trying to prevent the Philippine government from carrying out even sporadic repair work on the ship, the Chinese government may accelerate its disintegration.
China opposes the maintenance of the Madre Mountains and has requested the Philippines to tow it away. China claims that the interception of the ship was only due to the Philippines attempting to transport building materials while transporting food and other necessities. The Philippines stated its responsibility to support the Marines on board the ship.
Colonel Medel Aguilar, spokesperson for the Philippine Armed Forces, said, "We need to ensure that our troops stationed there can live on board the ship." He said, "What we are doing will ensure that the ship remains there and remains habitable
Any move by China to seize the Second Thomas Sands will bring pressure to the United States to support its allies, not only diplomatically, but also militarily. This may trigger a direct conflict between the United States and China, bringing huge risks to both major powers. Security analysts say that at a time when the United States is busy dealing with the Russia Ukraine war and the Israel Kazakhstan war, the Chinese government may believe there is a window of opportunity.
The response of the United States to the development of maritime affairs in South China has been under more scrutiny, as the 2012 events left scars on the US Philippines alliance and caused lasting trauma throughout the country. That year, after several weeks of confrontation between China and the Philippines, China seized a coral atoll called Scarborough Shoal (also known as Huangyan Island in China). Officials from Manila later stated that the United States did not take sufficient action to support its allies, allowing Beijing to seize control with little negative impact on itself.
Batongbacal said that if China achieves similar success in the second Thomas sandbar, this situation would send a very bad signal about the effectiveness of the US Philippines alliance and the security guarantees provided by the US.
That's why I think this is an extremely tempting goal for China, "he said. If they can resolve this issue, they will have the ability to fundamentally disrupt the US alliance in the region and the credibility of US security
China's strategy in the vicinity of the second Thomas sandbar has become more aggressive this year.
In February, the Philippines stated that its Coast Guard crew members were temporarily blinded by military grade lasers fired by the Chinese Coast Guard. A few months later, China shelled a Philippine military supply ship with water cannons. In early October, a Chinese coast guard ship approached too closely, to the extent that the Philippines stated that in order to avoid a collision, they had to reverse a ship. Last weekend, there was another collision between the two sides, not just once, but twice.
Image source: Erik de Castro/REUTERS Twenty five years ago, the Philippines docked this ship on a reef to prevent China from expanding its control over the South China Sea.
These confrontations occurred after the Philippines changed its stance towards its neighboring countries. Since taking office last year, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has reversed his predecessor's pro China policy. He doubled his alliance with the United States and took a tough stance towards the Chinese government on the South China Sea issue. The Philippine Coast Guard and armed forces often condemn China's actions and release photos and videos showcasing its tactics.
Colin Koh, Senior Researcher at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Polytechnic University in Singapore, said that China's actions in the South China Sea are no longer as easy to achieve as before. He said that as the Philippines retaliated against China by spreading news of the encounter between the two countries' ships, China found itself humiliated by these events.
Koh said that China may have also accelerated its actions to ensure that the Philippines does not further consolidate its presence on the Second Thomas Sands, such as building permanent buildings there.
Some security analysts say the United States should take more measures to assist the Philippines. They said that the US Navy can deploy ships to escort the Philippine supply fleet to the Second Thomas Sands, and even go even further. If the Philippines tries to build buildings there, the US Navy can help protect Filipino personnel.
Koh said that these are very difficult to grasp, and this is a cowardly game.