Posted on 07/09/2024 11:12:49 AM PDT by Red Badger
The Biden administration has warned China against continuing to conduct armed attacks on the Philippines, but China has blatantly ignored the warning, repeatedly harassing Philippine naval vessels and severely injuring its sailors over the past several months.
Beijing, for its part, has accused Washington of using the Philippines as a pawn and seems to have every intention of continuing to escalate the dispute.
That dispute centers on the Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed reef within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, but also within China’s illegal “nine-dash line” maritime claim in the South China Sea.
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The dispute is not new, and China has used a wide array of tools to harass and intimidate the Philippines over the past several years. What’s new is the frequency of these incidents and the higher levels of force being employed by the Chinese coast guard against Philippine navy sailors.
In March, the Chinese coast guard blasted water cannons and rammed into a Philippine patrol vessel, damaging it and injuring the vessel and crew. China called its move a “necessary measure” and accused the Philippines of violating China’s sovereignty for having resupplied the troops it keeps on Second Thomas Shoal. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, based in The Hague, ruled in favor of the Philippines in the dispute, but China has rejected the ruling.
A month later, in April, and within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, the Chinese coast guard rammed into, and again used water cannons against, Philippine patrol vessels on a mission to resupply fishermen.
Chinese state media responded, stating that the operation was “reasonable, legitimate, and professional” and that the Philippine vessels were conducting dangerous maneuvers that justified the “forced use of water cannons to warn the vessel.”
In June, a Philippine sailor suffered severe injuries as a result of the Chinese coast guard ramming into, blocking, and launching water cannons against Philippine resupply vessels. Just as in March and April, China justified the use of “control measures” and claimed that the Philippine resupply vessel caused the collision.
In another June incident, the Chinese coast guard brandished axes and machetes at Philippine personnel in what the Philippine coast guard has labeled a “brutal assault.” Outnumbered by the Chinese, one Filipino had a finger cut off.
The Philippine ambassador to Washington has warned that the conflict with China could engulf the Indo-Pacific. Deterring China across the Indo-Pacific is a key U.S. goal, but the dispute in the Philippines is particularly salient, as the U.S. has a treaty obligation to defend the Philippines from “armed attacks” pursuant to the U.S.-Philippines defense pact.
China’s repeated instances of aggression against the Philippines should serve as a warning to the entire Indo-Pacific.
Your thoughts crocodile?
Red China chooses to pick on the little guy.
Well, nobody ever accused the ChiComs of having any class.
Ping
Kyle Bass was speaking about this earlier this morning on CNBC - see https://www.cnbc.com/video/2024/07/09/hayman-capitals-kyle-bass-on-china-threat-appeasing-authoritarians-or-dictators-has-never-worked.html.
Birdbrain Jo is not Trump.
Looking for new naval and air force bases.And if the Rats are able to steal this election they’ll very probably succeed.
Thanks bro
Harassment, to bring political pressure on the Philippines.
This is having an effect economically. Fortunately Japan and the Euros are backfilling other losses in Philippine FDI.
Its all of a piece with the Taiwan issue, as the Philippines has cooperated with the US and Taiwan, in its bases agreement with the US. The US will use Philippine bases as fighting positions to try keep the Luzon strait open (the channel between Luzon and Taiwan) in the coming fight, when China tries to blockade Taiwan.
BTW, Philippine social media is full of pro-Chinese trolls. When it comes down to the US stepping in, this will show up in the US, and probably to FR.
There will be war. This year? I don’t know. Doesn’t seem likely. But when it comes it will come to many nations at once, from Japan to Australia.
China can’t seize Taiwan in a surprise. An amphibious invasion will be an extremely high risk maneuver even if well prepared.
No, its going to be a blockade. The Chinese were conducting exactly such exercises when I was in Taipei last month.
This is going to be a huge regional war, throughout East Asia. The Philippines is just one country that’s going to be in it from the beginning.
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The man lost a thumb when his boat was rammed by a much larger Chinese vessel. His hand was crushed.
The Philippines is now deploying much larger vessels. The problem is the risk of truly major incidents, like the Chinese using antiship missiles. The Filipino POV is that the Chinese are fully willing to go there.
👍 You bet, bro. Stay safe.
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