South China Sea flash point for violence
On April 24, the Armed Forces of the Philippines reported that a Chinese ship acted aggressively five days before against a Philippine military plane on patrol over waters claimed by Manila in the disputed South China Sea.
The military said the Chinese vessel flashed powerful lights on the Philippine Navy plane and radioed it to leave the area near Subi Reef, one of the islands in the Spratlys chain occupied by the Philippines.
“You are entering Chinese territory, leave,” Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, spokesperson for the AFP, quoted the Chinese crew as telling the Philippine plane.
The pilots ignored the Chinese ship’s actions to avoid escalating the encounter.
“We will not respond with aggressive actions, as stated in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,” Cabunoc said, referring to the 2002 agreement between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China to maintain the status quo in disputed waters.
Although the Chinese ship did not fire at the Philippine plane, the AFP denounced the Chinese act of challenging the Philippine military right in Philippine territory.
“We are concerned why we are being challenged in our own territory. This is an aggressive action on the part of the Chinese vessel,” Cabunoc said.
Earlier in April, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel fired a water cannon at Filipino fishermen and seized some of their catch near Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) off the coast of Zambales province.
China is claiming nearly all of the South China Sea, including waters within the exclusive economic zones of its neighbors. The Philippines has challenged the Chinese claim in a United Nations arbitral court.
Flash point
There is no reason to expect that the incident would not recur in the near future, and what it tells us is that the South China Sea remains a flash point for more violent encounters between China’s vastly superior naval forces and the weaker forces of Southeast Asian countries—including the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia—that have territorial claims in the South China Sea rivaling those of China.
These maritime disputes were magnified in the April 26 to 27 Asean summit in Malaysia. In that summit, Asean failed to declare nothing stronger than its watered-down final statement, saying that the Asean heads of state “share the serious concerns expressed by some leaders on the land reclamation being undertaken in the South China Sea, which has eroded trust and confidence and may undermine peace, security and stability in the South China Sea.”
Although the communiqué did not mention China by name, China did not conceal its bullying attitude toward its smaller neighbors when the Chinese foreign ministry, responding to the Asean statement through a news briefing, lashed out at the denunciations of the Chinese establishment of “fortresses of sand” on territories claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam and other claimants.
Weak Asean stand
The communiqué merely echoed but failed to heed the call by President Aquino for a robust, united front against the “unprecedented challenge of China’s reclamation work in the Spratly’s Islands.”
At the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak issued a wimpish statement that Asean would avoid “a direct confrontation with China but push for a quick conclusion of a binding code of conduct to govern behavior in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.”
Asean’s weakened position has only earned the scorn of Beijing. The communiqué said the nonconfrontational approach to the dispute had been effective in keeping tensions with Beijing at bay.
“We will continue to engage China in a constructive way,” Najib said. “We hope to be able to influence China. It is also in their interest not to be seen as confronting Asean and that any attempt to destabilize the region will not benefit China either.”
Asean will seek “expeditious resolution” of a code of conduct with China, which has been languishing in the dead-letter archives of bloc.
Najib also indirectly rejected calls by the Philippines for Asean to stand up to China.
‘De facto control’
Manila has warned that Beijing is poised to take “de facto control” of the South China Sea with its construction of artificial islands on reefs claimed by other countries in the area.
“The massive reclamation activities undertaken by China pose a threat to the security and stability of the region, cause irreparable damage to the marine environment and threaten the livelihood of many of our peoples,” Filipino leaders said.
They warned that the reclamation works not only exacerbated tensions in the region, but also showed that China would likely wait to complete the reclamation before it agrees to conclude a code of conduct with Asean.
The issue about environmental damage caused by reclamation is something unlikely to impress China.
More important issue
The more important issue was raised at the summit by Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario. He warned that China was poised to consolidate de facto control of the South China Sea.
Del Rosario also pointed out that the land reclamation on disputed reefs has raised the specter of permanent Chinese bases far out in the sea from which it can enforce its sovereignty.
“Stand up for what is right,” Del Rosario said. “Is it not time for Asean to say to our northern neighbor that what it is doing is wrong and that the massive reclamation must be immediately stopped? Is it not time for Asean to finally stand up for what is right?”
Malaysian rejection
But Malaysia, host of the summit, immediately rejected a response that could antagonize China.
“We avoid any action that would be counterproductive and bring us further apart either among ourselves or with China,” said Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman.
