Philippines Condemns Chinese Boats' 'Illegal' Actions In South China Sea

Relevance: GS2 - India and its neighborhood- relations. Bilateral, regional, and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests,

(Source: The Hindu, 09/09/2023)

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Why in the news?

• Recently, the Philippines Coast Guard claimed that Chinese vessels had interfered with a resupply mission to a remote military outpost in the South China Sea.
• The South China Sea is an area of contention between China and the Philippines with China claiming the entirety of the sea.

What is the recent crisis in the South China Sea?

Philippines

• The Philippines claimed that two of its Coast Guard vessels were escorting supply boats to the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands when they encountered four Chinese coast guard and four “militia” boats.
• The Chinese vessels carried out harassment, dangerous maneuvers, and aggressive conduct towards the Philippine vessels.
• Despite the interference, the cargo was successfully delivered to the Filipino troops on a grounded Navy ship.
• The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said that the Philippines opposes the presence of ‘militia vessels’ in the South China Sea.
  • It also condemned the illegal, aggressive, and destabilizing conduct of the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and the Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines.
• At the East Asia Summit, in Indonesia, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos told member nations to oppose the use of "coast guard and maritime militia vessels" in the South China Sea.
  • He also expressed concern about the installation of military facilities on reclaimed features such as outcrops and reefs, and violations of international law.
  • He recommended that such dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea should be opposed.
• China deploys hundreds of vessels to patrol the South China Sea which routinely block or shadow Philippine boats in the contested waters.

China

• The China Coast Guard accused the Philippine boats of entering the waters around the reef without obtaining permission from the Chinese government.
• It claimed that it had issued warnings, trailed the ships through its entire course, and effectively regulated the Philippine ships in accordance with the law.
• It firmly opposed the “illegal” transportation of construction materials by the Philippines to the illegal grounded warship.
• China recently released a new map of its territory which included 90% of the South China Sea and claims parts of the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia.
  • The Philippines rejected the Chinese map and asked it to respect the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the provisions of international law.
• In August 2023, Chinese vessels used water cannons against a Philippine resupply mission to the reef, preventing a boat from delivering its cargo.

South China Sea

• The South China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean in Southeast Asia.
• It is bordered by the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.
• It is connected to the East China Sea by the Taiwan Strait and to the Philippine Sea by the Luzon Strait.
• Strategic Importance:
• It connects the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean through the Strait of Malacca.
• It is a significant trade route that accounts for about one-third of the global shipping passes through it, carrying trillions of trade which makes it a significant geopolitical water body.
• Disputes:
  • Paracel Islands: Disputed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
  • Spratly Islands: Disputed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, and the Philippines.
  • The Scarborough Shoal: Disputed by the Philippines, China, and Taiwan.
  • Gulf of Tonkin: China and Vietnam.

Spratly Islands

• The Spratly Islands are an archipelago in the South China Sea off the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
• The islands have been contested between China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Malaysia and the Philippines have also laid claim to some portions of the islands.
• The Philippines has outposts on nine reefs and islands in the Spratlys, including the Second Thomas Shoal.

China-Philippines dispute

• China and the Philippines have disputed ownership of the Spratly Islands and the Scarborough Shoal which are located in the South China Sea.
• The Second Thomas Shoal, which is the basis of the recent clash between the two countries, is a part of the Spratly Islands.

Significance of the region

• The region is rich in oil, natural gas, minerals, and fish.
  • This is significant as the economies and livelihoods of significant portions of the people in China and the Philippines are dependent on fisheries.
  • Since China is the largest consumer and exporter of fish, its fish stocks have depleted near its shore forcing it to venture further into the South China Sea leading to clashes over territorial claims and fishing rights.
  • China is contesting claims to the region as it is rich in valuable oil and gas deposits.
• Roughly half of the world’s merchant fleets pass through this area with an annual estimate of $5 trillion in trade.
  • China believes that ownership of the contested regions will give it a strategic advantage to exert its influence in the South China Sea.
  • It has planned to build military and naval bases in the region.

Role of other major powers

Australia

• Australia and the Philippines recently signed a strategic partnership agreement to strengthen security and economic ties amid concerns over Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.
• The Philippines has claimed that Australia’s support was crucial towards China’s illegal and unacceptable maritime claims.

United States of America

• The Philippines, which is a long-time U.S. ally, has signed a mutual defense treaty with the US according to which, both nations will support each other if they are attacked by an external party.
• Relations between the U.S.A. and China are already complicated by geopolitical, economic, and strategic tensions.
• The active involvement of the U.S.A. in the conflict could lead to an escalation.

India

• India has urged both countries to exercise restraint and resolve the issue diplomatically according to the established principles of International law.
• India has also opened a resident defense attaché office in Manila and expanded training and joint exercises on maritime security and disaster responses with the Philippines which has contributed to increased cooperation between the two Coast Guard forces.

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FAQs

MCQs

Question: Consider the following pairs:

Regions sometimes mentioned in news Country

Catalonia Spain

Crimea Hungary

Mindanao Philippines

Oromia Nigeria

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 3 and 4 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 2 and 4 only

Question: India is a member of which among the following?

1. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
2. Association of South-East Asian Nations
3. East Asia Summit

Which of the above is/are correct? (UPSC CSE 2015)

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3

(d) India is a member of none of them