AT a special summit held virtually on November 22, 2021 between leaders of China and Asean to commemorate 30 years of dialogue relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured Southeast Asian leaders that China does not seek hegemony and will not bully its smaller neighbors.
It was a game of duplicity. Xi was paying lip service to the idea because a week before the online event, two Philippine boats headed for Ayungin Shoal with food supplies for our military forces there were blocked by Chinese Coast Guard vessels, which blasted the Philippine ships with water.
President Duterte took the opportunity at the virtual summit to condemn the act: “We abhor the recent event in the Ayungin Shoal and view with grave concern other similar developments,” he said, adding that the episode “does not speak well of the relations between our nations and our partnership.”
From the Associated Press: “The Chinese coast guard forcibly seized floating debris the Philippine Navy was towing to its island in another confrontation in the disputed South China Sea, a Philippine military commander said Monday. The debris appeared to be from a Chinese rocket launch. The Chinese vessel twice blocked the Philippine naval boat before seizing the debris it was towing Sunday off Philippine-occupied Thitu Island (Pag-asa Island), Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos said Monday. He said no one was injured in the incident.”
With this brazen act of seizing objects in the possession of another nation’s military, China wants to show how it can intimidate and bully small nations like the Philippines, which can’t match its military might.
The Philippines on Thursday issued a diplomatic note to China seeking explanation on a South China Sea incident where the Chinese Coast Guard “forcefully retrieved” a suspected rocket debris being towed by the Philippine Navy near Pag-asa Island. The Department of Foreign Affairs wants China to clarify what happened between the Philippine Navy and the Chinese Coast Guard in waters off Pag-asa Island on November 20, said DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza in a statement.
From the Associated Press: “Vice President Kamala Harris urged countries on Tuesday to stand up for territorial integrity and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, which has been challenged by China, and said Washington would press an international campaign against “irresponsible behavior” in the disputed waters. Harris did not cite China by name but was obviously referring to Beijing when she underscored America’s support to treaty ally the Philippines in the face of intimidation and coercion in the South China Sea.”
“We must stand up for principles such as respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, unimpeded lawful commerce, the peaceful resolution of disputes,” Harris said. “We will continue to rally our allies and partners against unlawful and irresponsible behavior. When the international rules-based order is threatened somewhere, it is threatened everywhere,” she said.
Harris reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to defend the Philippines under a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty that obligates the allies to help defend either side that comes under attack. “An armed attack on the Philippines armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke US Mutual Defense commitments,” Harris told President Marcos. “And that is an unwavering commitment that we have to the Philippines.”
China is a signatory in the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty. But it continues to breach the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. On January 22, 2013, the Philippines instituted arbitral proceedings against China in a dispute concerning their respective maritime entitlements and the legality of Chinese activities in the South China Sea. China refused to participate in the arbitral proceedings. On July 12, 2016, the Arbitral Tribunal in the South China Sea Arbitration issued a unanimous award largely favorable to the Philippines.
China’s vast territorial claims on historical grounds in the South China Sea have been invalidated. Still, China wants to reach global superpower status, and it is happy to bully its way into this dream. It shows no respect for the Philippine Navy. To defend its territorial integrity, the Philippines needs all the support it can get from the community of nations. It’s time to ask China to respect international law.