On August 19, the People’s Republic of China yet again sought to enforce its illegal attempts at annexing portions of another sovereign country’s coastal waters. Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels collided near the Sabina Shoal, a part of the Spratly Islands. The Spratlys lie about 140 kilometers from the Philippine island of Palawan, and therefore easily within the 320 kilometer Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone. Each country accuses the other of ramming the other’s vessel.
The PRC’s unilateral and ludicrous claims to 90 percent of the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest waterways, as well as its uninhabited reefs, have alarmed and outraged its neighbors. China’s aggressive enforcement of its claims has caused an increasing number of similar incidents, particularly with the Philippines, which has so far this year filed over 40 diplomatic protests to Beijing for violating its sovereignty.
China has no legal claim to most of the territory it covets, including the Spratly Islands archipelago, which lies more than 1,300 kilometers [808 miles] from Hainan Island, China’s most southerly outpost. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled that China has no basis for its territorial claims, and declared illegal its aggressive attempts to prevent other nations from fishing or other activities in the region. China has scoffed at the Court’s declaration and continues to enforce its illegal claims.
“The United States stands with its ally the Philippines and condemns the dangerous actions by the People’s Republic of China against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the South China Sea on August 19. PRC ships employed reckless maneuvers, deliberately colliding with two Philippine Coast Guard ships, causing structural damage and jeopardizing the safety of the crew onboard,” said the State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson, Vedant Patel, in a written statement.
“These actions are the latest examples of the PRC using dangerous and escalatory measures to enforce its expansive and unlawful South China Sea maritime claims. The United States calls upon the PRC to abide by international law and desist from its dangerous and destabilizing conduct,” he said.
“The United States reaffirms that Article IV of the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft – including those of its Coast Guard – anywhere in the South China Sea.”
