29-9-2023 (WASHINGTON) The Philippines’ recent removal of a Chinese floating barrier near the Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea has been commended by a senior US defense official as “a bold step in defending their own sovereignty.” This move has taken place amid ongoing tensions and territorial disputes in the region.
China had positioned a long, ball-buoy barrier near the rocky outcrop of the Scarborough Shoal, located approximately 200 kilometers from the Philippines. This area has been a focal point of intermittent flare-ups, with disputes concerning sovereignty and fishing rights stretching over several years.
The Philippines Coast Guard executed a “special operation” to dismantle the barrier, citing its violation of international law and its potential to pose a hazard to navigation. This act was met with strong reaction from the Philippine government, expressing its outrage at China’s actions.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, Lindsey Ford, praised the Philippines’ response during a congressional hearing. She also reiterated the United States’ security commitments to its Asian ally.
Ford stated, “The department has been incredibly clear that when it comes to our treaty commitments to the Philippines, we believe an armed attack against Philippine Armed Forces, public vessels, aircraft, applies to the South China Sea. That includes the Philippine Coast Guard. We stand by those commitments absolutely.”
The Chinese coastguard countered the Philippine version of events, claiming that they had retrieved the barrier after deploying it in response to a Philippine vessel’s “illegal” entry into the area. China’s foreign ministry defended the actions of its coast guard as “necessary measures” following what it described as an intrusion by a Philippine bureau of fisheries vessel into Chinese waters.
This incident underscores the ongoing tensions between China and the Philippines, particularly at a time when Manila is strengthening its military ties with Washington. Ford expressed the US’s satisfaction with the implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, a deal reached earlier this year, granting the US access to four additional military bases in the Philippines.
The Scarborough Shoal, which was seized by China in 2012, remains a contentious issue as it was a part of a legal case filed by the Philippines at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. In 2016, the court ruled that Beijing’s claim to 90% of the South China Sea had no basis under international law, a ruling China has refused to recognize.
