19-6-2024 (MANILA) Tensions in the South China Sea have escalated once again after a violent confrontation between Philippine and Chinese maritime forces on Monday, according to Philippine military officials. In a concerning incident that has drawn international scrutiny, the Philippine navy has alleged that the Chinese coast guard rammed and boarded Filipino navy boats, leading to the injury of a Filipino sailor who lost a thumb.
This latest clash is part of a series of escalating confrontations between the two nations in recent months, as China intensifies its efforts to assert its claims over the disputed waters. General Romeo Brawner, the chief of the Philippine military, has condemned the Chinese action as nothing short of “piracy,” demanding the return of seized weapons and equipment, as well as reparations for the damages incurred.
The incident unfolded near the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef where a small Philippine garrison is stationed on a grounded warship. According to Brawner, the Chinese coast guard vessels, numbering around eight, approached the Filipino boats, with personnel armed with swords, spears, and knives. In a daring act of aggression, the Chinese forces boarded the Filipino vessels, seizing seven firearms, communication and navigation equipment, and even the crew’s personal mobile phones.
LOOK | The China Coast Guard’s coercive, aggressive, and barbaric actions during the humanitarian rotation and resupply mission at BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal on June 17, resulted in severe damage to AFP vessels, including their communication and navigation equipment. pic.twitter.com/bhQ0Bzr9yK
— Armed Forces of the Philippines (@TeamAFP) June 19, 2024
China, however, has defended its actions, with the foreign ministry claiming that “no direct measures” were taken against Filipino personnel. State media outlets have released images purporting to show the confrontation, portraying the Chinese coast guard as carrying out a routine “boarding and inspection” of a Philippine boat for the first time. The photographs depict two Chinese vessels flanking a smaller Filipino vessel, with another Chinese boat in close pursuit, before Chinese officials are seen boarding the encircled vessel.
Rear Admiral Alfonso Torres, commander of the Philippines’ South China Sea forces, provided further details, stating that one of the Filipino boats was “illegally rammed” at “high speed” by a Chinese coast guard vessel, leading to the loss of the sailor’s thumb when the Chinese vessel landed on the bow. Torres condemned the Chinese coast guard’s actions, accusing them of “looting” and “forcibly taking” the seven firearms, as well as destroying communication and navigation equipment.
The Second Thomas Shoal has been a longstanding source of tension between the two nations, as China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, dismissing competing claims from several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines. Despite an international ruling that China’s stance has no legal basis, Beijing has continued to militarize the region, deploying coast guard and other vessels to patrol the waters around the shoal and transforming several reefs into artificial islands.
