Philippines roils South China Sea

MANILA – Tensions are rising again as China and the Philippines bump boats and trade diplomatic barbs over the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Adding fuel to the fire were recent “war games” staged by 3,000 American and Filipino marines near the hotly disputed maritime territory.

The latest row was sparked by alleged intrusions into each other’s claimed area in the potentially oil-and-gas rich chain of islands, where more than 50% of the world’s merchant fleet tonnage passes each year. It also comes ahead of a crucial East Asian Summit meeting later this month in Bali, Indonesia where world leaders will be in attendance and the issue on the agenda.

The latest incident, the ninth since March between the two rival

Asian claimants, involved a Philippine warship that China alleges strayed into its sovereign waters on October 19. The Philippine ship became entangled with the cables of a Chinese fishing vessel, which at the time was towing 23 unmanned dinghies.

Filipino naval authorities admitted that its warship, the BRP Rizal, experienced a steering problem that led to its “accidental” collision with the cables of the Chinese fishing boat, which abandoned the dinghies and immediately left the scene. The Chinese vessel was spotted near the Reed Bank, which lies near the island of Palawan within the Philippines’ 250-mile exclusive economic zone stipulated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Reed Bank, which China refers to as Liyue Bank, is the same spot where in March Chinese patrol boats cut the cables of a vessel operated by the UK-based Forum Energy. The company was operating under an exploration contract with Manila. In 2005, Forum Energy’s seismic data of the Sampaguita area inside Reed Bank revealed a natural gas find with potential reserves of up to 20 trillion cubic feet. Earlier exploration of the area in the 1980s was halted due to China’s complaints.

With those potential riches at stake, both sides have dug in their heels. Beijing has demanded that Manila return “unconditionally” the seized dinghies, which the Philippine warship retrieved and brought to its naval base on the island of Palawan. Philippine foreign affairs officials have said they regret the latest incident but ruled out issuing any formal apology, reasoning that the Chinese vessel had illegally poached within Philippine waters.

“No apologies were necessary and none was given,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said. He also said the disposition of the dinghies will go through a legal process before being returned, a stance that has drawn the ire of Spratly Island watchers and pro-China propagandists in Beijing.

The Global Times, the English language companion of the China Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper, warned the Philippines against provoking China into taking retaliatory military action. “A counter-attack is likely,” the newspaper said in a strongly worded editorial, adding that the Philippines “should prepare for the sound of cannons” from China.

In the same paper, Chinese columnist Long Tao urged Beijing to wage “tiny-scale battles” against both the Philippines and Vietnam “to teach them a lesson.” Vietnam has backed the Philippines’ proposal to resolve the Spratlys dispute peacefully in accordance with international laws. The two Southeast Asian neighbors recently signed a series of cooperative naval agreements in an apparent attempt to counterbalance China’s rising assertiveness in the region.

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Wisner, a former US under secretary of defense for policy, said a code of conduct would serve the interests of all Asia-Pacific stakeholders, including the US. “The United States is a Pacific power; our destiny is linked to this region. America’s security and economic well-being depend heavily on Asia and this fact will grow in importance in the years ahead,” he said.

Wisner noted that 80% of China’s and a large percentage of Japan’s and South Korea’s oil is shipped through sea lanes of the South China Sea. “The right of free passage and freedom of navigation and the orderly and consensual exploitation of the resources of the South China Sea are matters of huge importance to all nations,” the former US official said.

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