Manila, Philippines — The United States renewed a warning Tuesday that it is obligated to defend its close ally a day after Philippine navy personnel were injured and its supply ships damaged in one of the most serious confrontations between the Philippines and China on a disputed sandbar in the South China Seaofficials said.
China and the Philippines blamed each other for instigating Monday’s hostilities at Second Thomas Shoal, which has been occupied by a small contingent of the Philippine navy aboard a stranded warship that has been closely monitored by the Chinese coast guard. navy and suspected militia ships in a year-long territorial standoff. . There is fear of disputes, Long considered a hotspot in Asia, could escalate and pit the United States and China into a larger conflict.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell discussed China’s actions with his Filipino counterpart, María Teresa Lázaro, in a phone call. Both agreed that China’s “dangerous actions threatened regional peace and stability,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Campbell reaffirmed that the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951which forces Washington and Manila to help defend each other in major conflicts, “extends to armed attacks against Philippine armed forces, public ships or aircraft – including those of its coast guard – anywhere in the South China Sea,” according to Miller .
A Philippine government task force overseeing territorial disputes condemned what it called “dangerous maneuvers, including ramming and towing,” that disrupted a routine effort to transport food, water and other supplies to Filipinos manning the territorial post aboard of the BRP Sierra Madre on the sandbank.
“Despite the illegal, aggressive and reckless actions of the Chinese maritime forces, our personnel showed restraint and professionalism, refrained from escalating tension and continued with their mission,” the Philippine task force said without elaborating. “Their actions put the lives of our personnel at risk and damaged our ships in flagrant violation of international law.”
The Chinese coast guard said the Philippines “is entirely responsible for this.” She said a Philippine ship “ignored China’s repeated solemn warnings…and came dangerously close to a Chinese ship in normal navigation in an unprofessional manner, causing a collision.”
Two speedboats, attempting to deliver construction materials and other supplies to a military ship parked on the sandbar, accompanied the supply ship, according to China’s Foreign Ministry, which described the maneuver by its coast guard as “professional.” , measured, reasonable and legal”.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said late Monday that his country’s military would resist “China’s dangerous and reckless behavior,” which “contradicts its statements of good faith and decency.”
“We will do everything possible to fulfill our sworn mandate to protect our territorial integrity, sovereignty and sovereign rights,” Teodoro said. “It should now be clear to the international community that China’s actions are the real obstacles to peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
Several incidents have occurred near the sandbar in recent months. which lies less than 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from the nearest Philippine coast and is home to the Sierra Madre, which had become encrusted with rust since it was deliberately run aground in 1999 but remains a serviceable military vessel active, which means an attack against it. The Philippines could consider it an act of war.
China has become increasingly assertive in pressing its claim over virtually the entire South China Sea, leading to a growing number of direct conflicts with other countries in the region, most notably the Philippines and Vietnam.
A new Chinese law, which took effect Saturday, authorizes its coast guard to seize foreign ships “that illegally enter China’s territorial waters” and detain foreign crews for up to 60 days. The law renewed a reference to 2021 legislation that says China’s coast guard can fire at foreign ships if necessary.
At least three coastal governments with claims to the waters – the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan – have said they would not recognize the law. Malaysia and Brunei are also involved in long-running territorial disputes, which are seen as a delicate dividing line in the long-running rivalry between the United States and China in the region.
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Associated Press writers Aaron Favila and Joeal Calupitan in Manila contributed to this report.
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