2 Jul 2024
Coastguard ships have been involved in a series of confrontations in disputed waters. Photo: China Coast Guard
Chinese
and Philippine officials met to discuss the South China Sea on Tuesday,
even as Beijing accused Manila of “undermining peace and stability” in
the disputed waters.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique
Manalo confirmed the talks – the first of their kind since January –
were taking place in Manila and said he was “hoping for the best”, news
portal rappler.com reported.
Last week he had said he hoped talks between the two sides would help manage tensions.
The two sides have been involved in a series of confrontations in the disputed waters this year.
These
include an incident where Chinese coastguards intercepted a Philippine
naval mission to resupply troops stationed on the Second Thomas Shoal on
June 17, leading to clashes in which a Philippine sailor lost a thumb.
The
Chinese intervention was the first since new rules came into force
allowing them to carry out “boarding inspections” in waters China claims
as its own.
Manila said the Chinese coastguards had been armed
with machetes and knives, and Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said
their actions had been “deliberate, planned and escalatory” and the
“most aggressive” in recent years.
Since then the two sides have
continued to trade accusations, most recently with Beijing accusing the
Philippines of “undermining peace and stability” for sending supplies to
a coastguard vessel stranded at Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands on
Monday.
China
said it had “followed and supervised the whole process” as three
Philippine coastguard vessels “transferred personnel and materials” to
the “illegally stranded” ship.
The coastguard statement released
on Tuesday afternoon asserted Beijing’s “indisputable sovereignty over
the Nansha Islands and its adjacent waters, including Xianbin Reef” –
the Chinese names for the Spratly chain and the reef.
It also accused the stranded Philippine vessel of “violating China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.
It
went on to say that the Chinese coastguard would “safeguard rights and
enforce the law in the waters under its jurisdiction and resolutely
defend China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and
interests”.
Sabina
Shoal – which is disputed between the two sides and Vietnam – also
serves as the meeting point for Philippine vessels on resupply missions
to troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre, a second world war vessel
deliberately grounded on Second Thomas Shoal to assert Manila’s
territorial claims.
Second Thomas Shoal has been the scene of
repeated clashes between the two sides in recent years, with Chinese
coastguards regularly blocking resupply missions to the reef. Beijing is
worried that these missions could be used to transfer construction
materials to fortify the ageing ship and bolster the Philippine presence
there.
Meanwhile, Manila has accused Beijing of attempting to
create an “artificial island” at Sabina Shoal – which is 75 nautical
miles (140km) from the Philippine island of Palawan.
China has rejected the claims and is concerned that the other side is trying to build an outpost on the reef.
Meanwhile, Beijing has been building up its presence in the South China Sea over the past couple of weeks.
The
12,000-tonne Ship 5901 – which is believed to be the world’s largest
coastguard vessel – has been spotted near Second Thomas Shoal and the
Philippine-controlled Thitu island, while the Shandong aircraft carrier
has been spotted around 200 nautical miles off Luzon, the country’s
largest island.
On Tuesday the Philippine Navy said it was “aware of” both ships.