Rising Tensions in the South China Sea: US Offers Escort to Philippine Supply Missions

[Social Media]

 

The United States has extended an offer to the Philippines to escort its supply ships to outposts in the highly disputed South China Sea, as confirmed by the Philippine military chief on Thursday. This comes in response to China's escalating efforts to block these vital resupply missions. General Romeo Brawner, head of the Philippine military, acknowledged the offer but stated that it would only be considered if the situation reached a critical point where life-saving provisions could not be delivered, and troops were left in dire straits.

 

"We're happy that the US has given us a range of options including that of joining or escorting us for the ROREs (rotation and resupply missions)," Brawner said at a press conference following his meeting with Admiral Samuel Paparo, the US Indo-Pacific Commander, in Baguio City. The admiral reiterated US readiness to assist but did not provide further details on what that involvement would entail. "We stand ready," Paparo briefly remarked.

 

In recent months, there has been a marked increase in tensions and clashes between Philippine and Chinese vessels during resupply missions to Filipino troops, coast guard personnel, and local fishermen stationed at strategic outposts, including Second Thomas, Sabina, and Scarborough Shoals. Despite an international ruling that invalidates Beijing's claims, China continues to assert control over the majority of the South China Sea. China justifies its actions against Philippine vessels as lawful and proportionate, a stance that has only intensified the already volatile situation.

 

In one of the latest incidents, Philippine and Chinese vessels collided twice near Sabina Shoal, where the Philippine Coast Guard has anchored a ship in a bid to prevent China from seizing the ring of reefs. This region has been a hotbed of confrontation as both nations vie for control, each asserting their own claims over these waters. The gravity of the situation was underscored in June when a Filipino sailor lost a thumb in a confrontation at Second Thomas Shoal. The incident saw Chinese coast guard members wielding knives, sticks, and an axe to thwart a Philippine Navy resupply attempt, escalating the physical and diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

 

These clashes have raised serious concerns that the United States, bound by a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines, could be pulled into an armed conflict with China. The potential for such an escalation underscores the delicate balance of power in the region, where any miscalculation could have far-reaching consequences. Both Washington and Manila have engaged in discussions exploring options to ensure the continued resupply of Filipino personnel, even as Chinese ships maintain a strong presence in the contested waters.

 

General Brawner emphasized that for the time being, the Philippines will continue its resupply missions independently. "If nothing works, then that's the time we can ask for help," Brawner explained, indicating that the Philippines has not yet exhausted its available options. He cited recent successful efforts, such as using a helicopter to deliver supplies to the BRP Teresa Magbanua, a Philippine Coast Guard ship that has been anchored at Sabina Shoal since April to deter Chinese attempts to seize it.

 

During a briefing in Manila, Admiral Paparo reiterated that the US stands ready to support its ally. "The escort of one vessel is an entirely reasonable option within our Mutual Defence Treaty," he noted, signaling the potential for a more direct US involvement if the situation deteriorates further. However, the prospect of US intervention remains a sensitive and complex issue, with potential implications for broader geopolitical stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

As the standoff continues, the situation remains precarious, with the Philippines striving to maintain its sovereignty and supply lines without triggering a larger conflict. The offer from the United States represents a significant gesture of support, highlighting the enduring alliance between the two nations. However, both sides seem acutely aware of the risks associated with any further escalation, as they navigate the treacherous waters of the South China Sea.

 

Credit: RFI 2024-08-31

 

 

 

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[Gweiloman]

Rising Tensions in the South China Sea: US Offers Escort to Philippine Supply Missions

 

… thus raising tensions even more. No surprise however, for a hegemonic empire in decline.

 

[Tropicalevo]

Way to go - Ooh. Ess. Aye.

[Tug]

Personally I think it’s a great idea to escort the Philippine supply boats even better if it is a multi national escort!

[thesetat2013]

7 hours ago, Tug said:

Personally I think it’s a great idea to escort the Philippine supply boats even better if it is a multi national escort!

i agree, this will also make so there are more naval ships ready to help with Japans problem with China as well. China has been aggravating Japan recently also. China thinks they own all the China sea. Leaving no fishing or anything for the other countries that have the rights to their own space. 

[Rob Browder]

10 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Rising Tensions in the South China Sea: US Offers Escort to Philippine Supply Missions

 

… thus raising tensions even more. No surprise however, for a hegemonic empire in decline.

 

I would agree with this sentiment, in many cases - but not this case.  There was an international ruling on China's made-up "dash line" claims - which extend far beyond any reasonable territorial limits.  The PI is in the right, on this one.  The USA engaging in bad foreign-policy in other cases, does not make the PI the bad guy, in this case. 

[spidermike007]

China is quickly becoming a bully in the Eastern Pacific, and Southeast Asia, and it would be great for them to get as much pushback as possible. International push back, international condemnation, and an international show of force.

 

I love this idea, they will likely back down in a nanosecond. 

[Gweiloman]

13 hours ago, Rob Browder said:

I would agree with this sentiment, in many cases - but not this case.  There was an international ruling on China's made-up "dash line" claims - which extend far beyond any reasonable territorial limits.  The PI is in the right, on this one.  The USA engaging in bad foreign-policy in other cases, does not make the PI the bad guy, in this case. 

Thanks for a measured and balanced response.

 

I assume you meant the ruling by the International Court of Arbitration? In actual fact, whilst this court ruled for PI on the specific matter brought to court, the ruling specifically said that it does not have jurisdiction over deciding sovereignty. However, unsurprisingly, the ruling was twisted by some western officials and media to try and paint China in the usual colours.

[Gweiloman]

13 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

China is quickly becoming a bully in the Eastern Pacific, and Southeast Asia, and it would be great for them to get as much pushback as possible. International push back, international condemnation, and an international show of force.

 

I love this idea, they will likely back down in a nanosecond. 

China still has a long, long way to go to catch up to and to try and emulate the US in this regard. It would need to build another 800+ military bases around the world and spend trillions of dollars that would be better spent on building infrastructure that benefits growth and development, now that over 700 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty.

 

Also, by international, it really means only the US and it’s vassal states.

[spidermike007]

21 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

China still has a long, long way to go to catch up to and to try and emulate the US in this regard. It would need to build another 800+ military bases around the world and spend trillions of dollars that would be better spent on building infrastructure that benefits growth and development, now that over 700 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty.

 

Also, by international, it really means only the US and it’s vassal states.

Very true. And there are likely many good reasons why nations are reluctant to grant China access to Naval and military bases on their soil. They have access to very few deep sea ports. Which is a great thing for the planet, as their expansionist ambitions know no bounds. 

 

 

[Purdey]

Do all those little islands have economic value or are they just symbolic? 

Seems not worth dying for.

[jvs]

24 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Do all those little islands have economic value or are they just symbolic? 

Seems not worth dying for.

Don't you know how strategically important this part of the world is?

[couchpotato]

30 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Do all those little islands have economic value or are they just symbolic? 

Seems not worth dying for.

As another poster says. This area is strategic for many reasons, and is the region that would be more likely for war to erupt, that any other area on the planet. And with the Taiwan issue, that will be resolved probably by force, it is a volatile area.

I suggest you do some reading on the history of this region going back to the 50's.

 

[Gweiloman]

4 hours ago, Purdey said:

Do all those little islands have economic value or are they just symbolic? 

Seems not worth dying for.

We’re it not for America continuously threatening China and building more and more military bases encircling it, these shoals and islands would be idyllic holiday destinations.

[nauseus]

14 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

China still has a long, long way to go to catch up to and to try and emulate the US in this regard. It would need to build another 800+ military bases around the world and spend trillions of dollars that would be better spent on building infrastructure that benefits growth and development, now that over 700 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty.

 

Also, by international, it really means only the US and it’s vassal states.

 

Not so far to go to control the South China Sea though.

[still kicking]

7 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

We’re it not for America continuously threatening China and building more and more military bases encircling it, these shoals and islands would be idyllic holiday destinations.

Are you Ruski?

[AreYouGerman]

So the Filipinos got bullied by the US to park a ship in China's waters and then pretend it's stuck and has to be resupplied and the US wants to escalate it by offering to resupply it in case China doesn't like to get bullied by this fake operation.

 

The 'dash line' is more or less China's idea of protecting the shipping routes agains the warmonger mad brute (USA), disregarding the fact the it was controlled by China for thousands of years, and disregarding the fact, that China's policy is money and they would achieve their goals by making everybody rich, without forcing homosexuality on the Asian countries.

 

In all cases, even if one believes these random reefs are disputed territories, why has the US to interfere there? What is the purpose? Stirring up another war, after losing so badly in the Ukraine.

 

 

[Patong2021]

On 8/30/2024 at 9:31 PM, Gweiloman said:

Rising Tensions in the South China Sea: US Offers Escort to Philippine Supply Missions

 

… thus raising tensions even more. No surprise however, for a hegemonic empire in decline.

 

 

How do you propose that the  Philippines respond to China's expansionist activities. China has ignored international rulings in respect to the territorial waters of the Philippines. It is China that has militarized this part of the South China Sea. The Chinese have also encroached into waters claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. How do you propose these nations deal with China which is quite literally destroying the fragile ecosystem by blasting coral reefs and dumping contaminated land fill into the ocean to extend and build up its squatter locations. This activity is done without  any concern for the environmental impact. 

Please explain how these countries should respond to the Chinese militarization of the region and the multiple violent confrontations initiated by the Chinese. 

These countries are aware that China is allied with Russia which launched an invasion into a weaker neighbor and are familiar with the Chinese invasion of Tibet .

 

 

[Patong2021]

11 minutes ago, AreYouGerman said:

So the Filipinos got bullied by the US to park a ship in China's waters and then pretend it's stuck and has to be resupplied and the US wants to escalate it by offering to resupply it in case China doesn't like to get bullied by this fake operation.

 

The 'dash line' is more or less China's idea of protecting the shipping routes agains the warmonger mad brute (USA), disregarding the fact the it was controlled by China for thousands of years, and disregarding the fact, that China's policy is money and they would achieve their goals by making everybody rich, without forcing homosexuality on the Asian countries.

 

In all cases, even if one believes these random reefs are disputed territories, why has the US to interfere there? What is the purpose? Stirring up another war, after losing so badly in the Ukraine.

 

 

 

You are factually incorrect.  The Philippines was not bullied into anything. This is a long standing encroachment by the Chinese who have been destroying the local environment of the locations it squats upon.  The waters were not controlled by the Chinese for thousands of years. China was not a seafarer nation. Much of the area claimed is in much closer proximity to Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines than it is to China.

 

Yes, China did visit the  sea during the Han dynasty.  However, much of the Chinese Han claim of historical ownership is not supported by actual history. One  analysis puts this historical claim into perspective; China has had many dynasties and governments in the history of its peoples and cultures. These dynasties potentially include at least 15 different governments in China since 206 BCE, covering the periods where China claims evidence of sovereignty in the SCS. Some of these dynasties were controlled by non-Chinese invaders, such as the Mongols or Japanese, and could be considered as evidence of sovereign control in the SCS by non-Chinese claimants. At times, several different dynasties controlled portions of modern China simultaneously, and it is not clear whether these different dynasties made conflicting claims of sovereignty in the SCS or whether any prior sovereignty claims were abandoned.

 

More specifically, the central argument of the Chinese government rests on its belief that if people of Chinese ethnicity were in the area, then the area is Chinese. This is a concept  few westerners comprehend. I will make it clearer. China holds the position that wherever there is an ethnic Chinese population, China can lay claim to the  land or territory. This means that if there are sufficient numbers of ethnic Chinese living in Canada or Australia, China has the right to claim the country or portions of the nation on behalf of the Chinese people. As far as China is concerned, China is not restricted to the PRC. This is the policy of China.

 

You go off on a tangent about forcing homosexuality on China. What sheer hateful ignorance. It was China that originated the option of male wives for the emperor. On the contrary, homosexual relations were the norm for the aristocracy of the Han Empire, the same empire that is used to justify the seizing of the South China Sea. 

https://daily.jstor.org/in-han-dynasty-china-bisexuality-was-the-norm/

 

Your position  ignores the horrible consequences of the  Chinese presence. it is China which overfishes waters and continuously pursues long range trawling that decimates local fish stocks and destroys local cultures. One of the reasons why countries like Somalia turned to piracy was because of the devastating impact of Asian based fishing fleets which destroyed the offshore fish stocks pushing thousands of subsistence fishermen into poverty. China regularly  strips clean the  territorial waters of Canada. The Canadian government is incapable of challenging the Chinese fishing fleets because it has a limited naval capability and the result is that Canada  has seen its ocean resources plundered by the insatiable greed of the Chinese fishing fleets. China intends to do the same to the South China sea. it also intends to seize the  petro resources and to deny Vietnam and the Philippines  access.

 

Worse is the total destruction of marine habitats by the Chinese. They are expanding shoals and  reefs by destroying the coral reefs and dumping tons upon tons of contaminated  landfill and compacted garbage at the reef sites. You are in effect support China's destruction of the environment. 

 

 

 

 

[Cameroni]

33 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

How do you propose that the  Philippines respond to China's expansionist activities. China has ignored international rulings in respect to the territorial waters of the Philippines. It is China that has militarized this part of the South China Sea. The Chinese have also encroached into waters claimed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei

 

 

 

This post displays an alarming ignorance. In fact Philippines, as well as Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, had long before China started doing so, engaged in exactly the same artificial islands building. All the countries involved have been doing this, most of them long before China started doing the same. Chinas has just been doing it better on a grander scale with more resources.

 

The militarisation of this region was done by other countries long before China.

[Cameroni]

11 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

You are factually incorrect. 

 

 

 

Actually, you're factually incorrect. See above.

[AreYouGerman]

47 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

This is a long standing encroachment by the Chinese who have been destroying the local environment of the locations it squats upon.

 

 

 

Stopped reading right here because your understanding is emotional and biased anti China.

 

Please get updated to facts:

https://projectseahorse.org/coral-reefs-suffering-in-philippines-despite-outlawing-damaging-fishing-practices/

https://www.icsf.net/newss/destructive-fishing-threatens-philippine-coral-reefs-says-study/
 

[Purdey]

22 hours ago, couchpotato said:

As another poster says. This area is strategic for many reasons, and is the region that would be more likely for war to erupt, that any other area on the planet. And with the Taiwan issue, that will be resolved probably by force, it is a volatile area.

I suggest you do some reading on the history of this region going back to the 50's.

 

I have read about the history and found that there were no major wars except Vietnam and Korea in the 20th century. They were the only ones where America took the lead in fighting Asians. They didn't spread to other southeast Asian countries.