The United States has expressed its support for the Philippines after the latest clash between Chinese and Philippine vessels in a disputed part of the South China Sea.
The incident in question occurred on Sunday morning in the vicinity of Philippine-occupied Thitu Island in the Spratly Islands, when China Coast Guard (CCG) patrol boats reportedly fired high-pressure water cannon at three vessels belonging to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
In a statement late yesterday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott condemned the behavior of the Chinese vessel, and said that Washington stood “with our Philippine allies as they confront China’s dangerous actions which undermine regional stability.”
Pigott added, “China’s sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea and its increasingly coercive actions to advance them at the expense of its neighbors continue to undermine regional stability and fly in the face of its prior commitments to resolve disputes peacefully.”
In line with established U.S. policy, Pigott reaffirmed that Article IV of the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) “extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft – including those of its Coast Guard – anywhere in the South China Sea.”
The Chinese behavior was also condemned by U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson and several other foreign diplomatic missions, including those of the United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, and Japan.
The incident was the latest in a line of confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in Philippine-claimed areas of the South China Sea, which Beijing claims under its maximalist “nine-dash line” claim. Most recent incidents have resulted from China’s attempts to assert its sovereignty over features in the Spratly Islands, particularly Second Thomas Shoal, that are under Philippine occupation, and over Scarborough Shoal, a separate atoll over which China exercises de facto control.
The incident on Sunday involved three BFAR vessels that were anchored close to Thitu Island, the largest Philippine-occupied feature in the Spratly Islands, in support of a government program to protect local fishermen. According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), at around 8:15 a.m., an unspecified number of CCG and maritime militia vessels reportedly approached and deployed water cannon against the BFAR vessels. An hour later, the PCG claimed that one of the CCG ships allegedly fired its water cannon directly at one of the BFAR ships, before “deliberately ramm[ing]” its stern, “causing minor structural damage but no injuries to the crew.” (Footage of the collision is available here.)
The Philippine Maritime Council, an inter-agency government body, issued a statement “strongly condemning” the incident and vowing to pursue “appropriate diplomatic action.”
The CCG later countered that two Philippine vessels had “illegally entered” waters near Sandy Cay, a coral reef around 1.5 nautical miles from Thitu Island, leading to a collision. The incident prompted China’s Foreign Ministry to urge Manila not to challenge Beijing’s efforts to “safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”