2023-08-11 22:41:34
The Philippines, the United States and China are at the center of an international dispute over a rusty ship that has become a key military outpost in the South China Sea.
The dilapidated ship of the Second World War it was deliberately stranded on a small reef in the South China Sea by the Philippines in 1999, and since then the Philippines has kept a small contingent of marines on board to defend the country’s claims in these hotly contested waters.
The military ship was built by the US during World War II and was also used during the Vietnam War (1955-75). Subsequently, she was transferred to South Vietnam and, a few years later, to the Philippines.
The strategically important South China Sea is the subject of territorial claims by China and Southeast Asian countries and is considered a hot spot in this hotspot.
hot zone
Tensions have intensified under the mandate of the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who has raised his tone by accusing China of aggression and, at the same time, has strengthened its relations with the US, a country with which it has a defense treaty. mutual.
Last Saturday, the Philippines, the US, the European Union, France, Japan and Australia condemned Beijing’s behavior after it Chinese coast guards will fire water cannons against a Philippine coast guard vessel.
The Philippines was trying to deliver food, water, fuel and other supplies to its soldiers deployed on the grounded ship, the ‘Sierra Madre’, located on the Second Thomas sandbar, also called Ayungin, an atoll in the Spratly Islands archipelago (which is disputed by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei).
China has repeatedly called for the rusty vessel to be removed, and the Chinese embassy in Manila has accused Washington of “inciting and supporting the Philippines’ attempts to refit and strengthen” the Sierra Madre, and encouraging its allies to “exploit for sensationalist purposes.” ” the situation in the South China Sea.
The South China Sea is not a hunting ground for countries outside the region to meddle, sow discord and provoke conflicts
“I would also like to stress that the South China Sea is not a hunting ground for countries outside the region to meddle, sow discord and provoke conflicts,” the Chinese embassy said.
China’s foreign ministry has also accused Washington of threatening Beijing with its mutual defense treaty with the Philippines. “The United States has been openly supporting the Philippines as it infringes on China’s sovereignty, but those moves will fail,” a foreign ministry spokesman said.
Although not a party to the dispute, the US views the South China Sea as crucial to its national interests and also has a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines.
On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin underscored the “strong nature of the US-Philippines alliance” in a call with his counterpart, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
In that call, Austin asserted that the treaty between the two countries – under which the US would defend the Philippines if its ships and forces come under attack – applies to coast guard vessels and forces in the South China Sea.
historical claims
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, including the Ayungin shoal where the Sierra Madre runs aground, though an international court in The Hague declared in 2016 that it has no historical rights to that area.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated on Tuesday its rejection of that court’s ruling: “The South China Sea arbitration was a political farce staged in the name of law, with the United States pulling the strings behind the scenes.”
Manila has repeatedly accused the Chinese coast guard of blocking resupply missions for the Sierra Madre.
In February, the Philippine Coast Guard charged Chinese Guard directing a military-type laser against one of his ships, when he was trying to support a Navy mission to bring food and supplies to his troops stationed on the Ayungin sandbar, as it is known in the Philippines, which is located within the exclusive economic zone of this country .
On Tuesday, Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesman Wu Qian stated that its coast guard had blocked the Philippine ship “in accordance with the law and taken all necessary measures to ensure compliance” with the law.
Analysts note that Chinese authorities have historically differentiated between Philippine attempts to resupply the ship with humanitarian goods and with construction or military material. The Chinese Defense Ministry said it had only attacked Philippine ships carrying construction materials destined for the Sierra Madre.
China has claimed that the latest water cannon incident was a “warning” and that it has exercised “rational restraint” throughout. It has also reiterated its calls for the Philippines to tow the Sierra Madre, stating that the country had previously promised to remove it.
The deployment of a Philippine military station in its own areas of jurisdiction is an inherent right of the Philippines and does not violate any law.
But the Manila authorities deny it. The Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs has indicated that the “permanent station” on Second Thomas Atoll is a reaction to China’s “illegal occupation” of nearby Mischief Reef in 1995. “The deployment of a Philippine military station on their own areas of jurisdiction is an inherent right of the Philippines and does not violate any law,” Foreign Affairs added.
For his part, the spokesman for the National Security Council of the Philippines, Jonathan Malaya, has stated that the country “will never abandon the Ayungin sandbar.”
This article has been prepared with information from the France-Presse news agency.
Translated by Emma Reverter.
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