The Armed Forces of the Philippines is absolutely correct in taking a strong position against China’s continuing harassment of our Coast Guard vessels in the West Philippine Sea
Bullying, as defined by psychologists, is a distinctive pattern of repeatedly and deliberately harming and humiliating others, specifically those who are smaller, weaker, or in any way more vulnerable.
That is exactly what China is doing in the West Philippine Sea.
And why is it doing so?
It is doing so because it claims ownership of practically the whole of the South China Sea on the basis of a map outlining a “ten-dash line” that has been roundly debunked by the Permanent Court of Arbitration of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as devoid of legal basis whatsoever.
There’s also this stupid notion that our close neighbor in our western flank owns the vital sealane through which a substantial portion of global trade takes place simply because its name has the word “China” in it.
That, by the way, is the logic that an unnamed People’ Liberation Army general has argued that the South China Sea is theirs alone.
The latest case of Chinese bullying right on our country’s 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone took place recently near the Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippine Coast Guard was engaged in another Rotation and Resupply (RoRe) mission for the Filipino military contingent based in the derelict BRP Sierra Madre.
This vessel has been grounded on the Ayungin Shoal since 1999, serving as an enduring symbol of our longstanding sovereignty claim over its territorial waters.
According to the PCG, a CCG vessel (21556) performed a dangerous maneuver, coming as close as one meter to the PCG vessel BRP Sindangan.
At this distance, you can already touch the Chinese vessel with an extended arm from our Coast Guard ship.
That’s not all. A People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) ship with bow number 630 approached BRP Sindangan within a distance of only 0.5 nautical miles for the first time. Five Chinese Maritime Militia vessels assisted the CCG in blocking the PCG vessels.
The PCG observed the PLA aircraft Y8Q conducting surveillance in Sabina Shoal and leaving when the resupply contingent arrived near Ayungin Shoal.
“This suggests that their objective may have been to address the ‘David and Goliath’ scenario and to potentially provide more maneuverability for the CCG in their efforts to block the RoRe mission,” PCG Spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela pointed out in a recent media forum.
The latest flare-up in the longstanding territorial dispute in the South China Sea demonstrates the intensity of US-China rivalry in the region.
A major clash in the disputed waters could involve the United States, which has vowed to defend the Philippines, its treaty ally, if Filipino forces, ships, and aircraft come under armed attack.
In early August, a Chinese coast guard ship used a water cannon against one of two Philippine supply boats to prevent it from approaching Ayungin Shoal.
The incident, caught on video, prompted the Department of Foreign Affairs to summon the Chinese ambassador to convey a strongly worded protest.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is absolutely correct in taking a strong position against China’s continuing harassment of our Coast Guard vessels in the West Philippine Sea.
“What we do to our BRP Sierra is none of their business, and they should not interfere,” said AFP spokesperson Colonel Medel Aguilar.
This was his reaction to the spokesman of the China Coast Guard who declared: “China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including the Ren’ai Reef, and its adjacent waters, and firmly opposes the illegal delivery of construction materials by the Philippines to the illegally grounded warship.”
Asked during a media forum what the AFP’s plan was amid China’s continued attempts to block resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal, Col. Aguilar said; “It cannot always be this way.”
Nevertheless, he said, “the morale of our troops in the West Philippine Sea is high, and they are determined to work harder to make sure the interests of the country are protected.”
We are glad that our staunch defense of national sovereignty and territorial integrity in the West Philippine Sea has obtained the support of the international community, particularly the US, Australia, Japan, Canada and the members of the European Union.
We should continue to resist China’s incursions in our EEZ by building a united front of countries committed to the goal of a rules-based international order to counter Beijing’s expansionist designs in this side of the Pacific.
(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)