US, Japan, Australia hit China over Philippine ship ramming

MANILA, Philippines — The United States condemned what it described as China’s “dangerous” conduct against the Philippines, after a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel deliberately rammed a Philippine ship at Escoda Shoal on Saturday.

“The United States stands with its ally, the Philippines, and condemns the dangerous and escalatory actions by the People’s Republic of China against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the vicinity of Sabina (Escoda) Shoal in the South China Sea (SCS) on Aug. 31,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said yesterday in a statement.

A CCG vessel deliberately collided three times with Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua – which was exercising its freedom of navigation in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) – causing damage to the ship and jeopardizing the safety of the crew onboard.

The latest collision was the fifth maritime confrontation in a month.

“This is the latest in a series of dangerous and escalatory actions by the PRC. On multiple occasions throughout August 2024, the PRC has aggressively disrupted lawful Philippine aerial and maritime operations in the South China Sea, including at Sabina Shoal,” Miller said.

Washington reiterated its call  on China to “comport its claims and actions with international law and to desist from dangerous and destabilizing conduct.”

The State Department warned that China’s unlawful claims of “territorial sovereignty” over ocean areas where no land territory exists, and its increasingly aggressive actions to enforce them, “threaten the freedoms of navigation and overflight of all nations.”

The US repeatedly warned that it is obligated to defend the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

“The United States reaffirms that Article IV of the 1951 United States-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft – including those of its Coast Guard – anywhere in the South China Sea,” Miller said.

The BRP Teresa Magbanua has been in Escoda Shoal since April to prevent suspected reclamation by China, following the discovery made by marine science researchers from the University of the Philippines of crushed corals dumped in the area, according to previous reports.

Japan, Australia air concerns

Japan’s top diplomat in the country said yesterday Tokyo was “seriously concerned” over the repeated incidents in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) after the CCG’s actions on Saturday.

Japanese Ambassador Kazuya Endo, who was singled out by the Chinese embassy in Manila for his remarks on China’s dangerous actions and repeated harassment in the South China Sea, said “Japan stands together with the Philippines by upholding rule of law at sea” and opposed the use of force or coercion.

“As a stakeholder of SCS, seriously concerned over the repeated incidents including yesterday’s collision by a CCG vessel against a Philippine vessel,” Endo wrote on X. “Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.”

Australian Ambassador HK Yu also criticized China’s “destabilizing” actions.

“Australia shares the Philippines’ concerns about China’s destabilizing behavior at Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea,” Yu said in a post on X. “Repeatedly ramming vessels is unacceptable and dangerous. All countries must comply with international law. The 2016 Arbitral Award is binding on its parties.”

The spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Manila issued on Thursday a statement on the Japanese ambassador’s post.

The Japanese embassy said the argument in the Chinese embassy spokesperson’s statement contains “serious misrepresentations” on diverse matters.

“We do not wish to divert attention from the central issue, which is the recent dangerous actions in the South China Sea,” the Japanese embassy said in a statement, noting that the issue with regard to the SCS is directly related to the peace and stability of the region and is a legitimate concern of the international community.

The international community, including Japan, has repeatedly expressed serious concerns over repeated actions in recent days that increase regional tensions.

Japan said it will continue to emphasize the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and reiterated its strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.

“Regrettably, China has not changed its position of not accepting the Arbitral Tribunal’s award to the Philippines and China, and has continued to assert maritime claims that are inconsistent with the UNCLOS,” the Japanese embassy said.

China removing Teresa Magbanua from Escoda?

Ray Powell, director of US-based ocean monitoring group SeaLight, is not discounting the possibility that China is trying to remove the Teresa Magbanua out of Escoda Shoal.

In an interview over ABS-CBN News, Powell said yesterday that a photo released by the PCG showed at least two CCG vessels. There were also two People’s Liberation Army Navy tugboats near the Teresa Magbanua that raised the possibility that these may be used to tow the PCG ship.

“This is the first documented sighting of these vessels at Sabina Shoal to my knowledge, and it’s hard to imagine what their purpose might be,” Powell said. “The idea that they may have been sent there to push the BRP Teresa Magbanua out of the shoal can’t be discounted.” — Evelyn Macairan, Sheila Crisostomo, Bella Cariaso, Cecille Suerte Felipe