9-12-2023 (MANILA) Tensions escalated in the South China Sea as the Philippines accused China of engaging in “illegal and aggressive actions” after its coast guard reportedly fired water cannon at a Philippine fisheries bureau vessel conducting a routine resupply mission. The incident occurred near the Scarborough Shoal, a contested territory claimed by both nations.
The Philippine task force for the South China Sea, an inter-agency government body, strongly denounced China’s actions and urged an end to its “aggressive activities” in the Scarborough Shoal. The US Ambassador to the Philippines, MaryKay Carlson, took to social media to express condemnation, stating that China’s behaviour violates international law and poses a threat to lives and livelihoods. She reaffirmed the US commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific and standing by the Philippines.
The Philippines condemns Chinese Coast Guard’s use of water cannon against its vessels that were on a support mission for Filipino fishermen today (Dec 9) in the vicinity of the Scarborough Shoal – within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. Video c/o… pic.twitter.com/llxPGp42X0
— Barnaby Lo 吳宗鴻 (@barnabychuck) December 9, 2023
China, in response, claimed that it had taken “control measures” against three Philippine fishing vessels that intruded into waters near Scarborough Shoal, according to state media reports.
The incident precedes the planned deployment of a Christmas convoy by the Philippines on December 10. Approximately 40 Philippine vessels are set to distribute gifts and provisions to residents on Thitu Island, the country’s largest occupied island in the South China Sea, as well as to troops stationed on an ageing warship in the Second Thomas Shoal.
The Philippine task force reported that three fisheries bureau vessels were on a supply mission near the Scarborough Shoal when they were targeted by Chinese water cannons at least eight times. The task force accused the China Coast Guard of directly and deliberately targeting a fisheries vessel, causing damage to communication and navigation equipment. It emphasized that preventing the distribution of humanitarian support is both illegal and inhumane.
The Scarborough Shoal, located within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, has been a source of territorial dispute. China seized control of the shoal in 2012, forcing Filipino fishermen to travel farther for smaller catches. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in 2016 that China’s claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis, rejecting its expansive territorial assertions.
The incident adds to longstanding tensions in the region, with China claiming nearly the entire South China Sea, which facilitates over US$3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce. Multiple nations, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, dispute China’s expansive claims in the strategically significant waterway.
