| August 2023 Second Thomas Shoal standoff | |||||
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| Part of South China Sea disputes | |||||
 CCG 5305 fires a water cannon at BRP Malabrigo | |||||
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| Belligerents | |||||
 Philippines |  China | ||||
| Units involved | |||||
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| Strength | |||||
| 2 patrol vessels 2 wooden supply boats | 6 cutters | ||||
On August 5, 2023, a China Coast Guard ship blocked a Philippine Coast Guard ship en route to the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed Spratly Islands.
The Second Thomas Shoal (named Ren'ai Jiao by China; Ayungin Shoal by the Philippines) is part of the Spratly Islands which is disputed territory claimed in full or in part by multiple countries including China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. The sea itself is claimed by China under its nine-dash map line claim. [2]
Second Thomas Shoal is occupied by the Philippines, which intentionally grounded the Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre on the shoal in 1999. [2]
On August 5, 2023, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy were heading to the Second Thomas Shoal to conduct what it describes as a routine resupply mission for personnel aboard the BRP Sierra Madre marooned at the feature. The mission involved two wooden boats of the Philippine Navy; Unaizah May 1 (UM1) and Unaizah May 2 escorted by the Coast Guard's BRP Malabrigo and BRP Cabra. The Navy purposely uses civilian-type ships for the resupply to avoid sending a "wrong message" that the mission is of military nature. [3]
The China Coast Guard (CCG) has impended the Philippine ships. UM1 was able to provide provisions for Filipino personnel aboard Sierra Madre after successfully outmaneuvering a CCG ship. UM2 was deterred by another CCG ship which fired water cannons towards it. The CCG were allegedly backed by Chinese maritime militia vessels. [3]
China claims that the Philippines is sending construction materials to reinforce Sierra Madre, an activity which it considers as illegal. [4]
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the Philippines to work with China to resolve the South China Sea dispute in response to the Second Thomas Shoal incident. The Chinese foreign ministry has also tried to dissuade the United States from interfering in the territorial dispute. [5] [6]
The United States reaffirmed its commitment to its alliance with the Philippines in response to the incident. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union also issued statements condemning China. [7]
The Department of Foreign Affairs supposedly issued a memorandum ordering the recall of Jose Manuel Romualdez, Ambassador of the Philippines to the United States due to bribery and corruption allegations from an anonymous complaint. Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo denied such order exists and Romualdez claimed that China is launching a smear campaign to damage Philippine–United States relations. [8]
On August 8, 2023, China brought up an alleged explicit promise made by the Philippines to remove Sierra Madre from the Second Thomas Shoal. [4] [9]
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines insists that the grounded ship shall remain a "permanent station". [9] On August 9, President Bongbong Marcos issued a statement that he is "not aware of any such arrangement or agreement" while adding that if such exist, that he rescind such agreement. [10]
In response to request to show proof of such agreement, China said that there is no point in doing so following the rescission. [11]
On August 14, 2023, [12] Manila Times columnist Rigoberto Tiglao claimed that the alleged pledge was indeed made albeit "solely verbal". Tiglao wrote that such pledge was referenced in several documents including confidential official memoranda from the DFA. [13]
Senators Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito said that there was no such deal made during the administration of their father Joseph Estrada. [14] The former had prior recent correspondence with Orly Mercado who was the Defense Secretary during the Estrada presidency. [15] He also pointed out that the promise is "illogical" given that President Estrada himself instructed the Armed Forces of the Philippines to ground Sierra Madre as a move for the Philippines to assert its claim over the feature. He challenged China to name the specific Filipino official who made the supposed pledge. [16]
Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo also categorically denied making any such promise during her administration. [17]
The National Security Council insist that China is using "political operators" to undermine the Philippines' position on the South China Sea dispute, naming the alleged promise as one of China's methods of "psychological warfare" to sway Filipino public opinion on the matter. [18]
In April 2024, Philippine president Bongbong Marcos said he was convinced that former president Rodrigo Duterte had made a secret deal with China. Duterte admitted on April 11 that he had made a "status quo" "gentleman’s agreement" not to repair or reinforce BRP Sierra Madre. Food and water were allowed to be brought to the sailors, but construction materials would not be permitted. [19]
Three Filipino critics on China's territorial claims were offered compensation by unidentified individuals in July to comment on Vietnam's alleged militarization of the South China Sea. The three were Jay Batongbacal (UP Institute of Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea head), Antonio Carpio (Retired Supreme Court Justice), and Renato De Castro (De La Salle University international studies professor). Carpio said this was meant to "direct the Filipinos’ ire on Vietnam and away from China". Other media outlets were approached to write about Vietnam's island-building activities. [18]
Scarborough Shoal, also known as Panacot,Bajo de Masinloc, Huangyan Island, Minzhu Jiao, and Panatag Shoal, are two skerries located between Macclesfield Bank to the west and Luzon to the east. Luzon is 220 kilometres (119 nmi) away and the nearest landmass. The atoll is a disputed territory claimed by the Republic of the Philippines through the Treaty of Washington in 1900 via the 1734 Velarde map, as well as the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan). The atoll's status is often discussed in conjunction with other territorial disputes in the South China Sea, such as those involving the Spratly Islands, and the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff. In 2013, the Philippines initiated arbitration against China under UNCLOS. In 2016, the tribunal ruled that China's historic title within the nine-dash line was invalid but did not rule on sovereignty.
The Philippine Navy (PN) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an estimated strength of 24,500 active service personnel, including the 10,300-strong Philippine Marine Corps. It operates 90 combat vessels, 16 auxiliary vessels, 25 manned aircraft and 8 unmanned aerial vehicles. Tracing its roots from the Philippine Revolutionary Navy on May 20, 1898, while its modern foundations were created during the creation of the Offshore Patrol on February 9, 1939, the PN is currently responsible for naval warfare operations and maritime patrol missions within the Philippine Waters, as well as ensuring the protection of the Philippine's maritime interests, including the South China Sea and Benham Rise.
Rodrigo Roa Duterte, also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, the ruling political party in the Philippines during his presidency. Duterte is the first president of the Philippines to be from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assume office, beginning his term at age 71.
BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) is an LST-542-class tank landing ship that is an active duty commissioned vessel under the Philippine Navy.
Philippines and the Spratly Islands – this article discusses the policies, activities and history of the Republic of the Philippines in the Spratly Islands from the Philippine perspective. Non-Philippine viewpoints regarding Philippine occupation of several islands are currently not included in this article.
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Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Ayungin Shoal, Bãi Cỏ Mây (Vietnamese) and Rén'ài Jiāo, is a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, 105 nautical miles west of Palawan, Philippines. It is a disputed territory and claimed by multiple nations.
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