WWIII

China Coast Guard Water-Cannons a Philippine Fisheries Vessel

File image courtesy Philippine Coast Guard

Published Oct 8, 2024 6:25 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

The China Coast Guard has again resorted to the use of water cannons to deter a Philippine supply mission at Scarborough Shoal, a Chinese-occupied reef in the Philippine exclusive economic zone.

A video released by the Philippine government-owned People's Television Network appears to show one Chinese cutter, the CCG-3301, using water cannons against the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) patrol vessel Datu Cabaylo. 

BFAR said in a statement that two China Coast Guard cutters and one PLA Navy warship harassed two of its civilian law enforcement vessels, the BRP Datu Cabaylo and the BRP Datu Sanday. The patrol vessels were at Scarborough Shoal on a recurring mission to provide supplies to Philippine fishermen from Luzon, who have long relied on the reef and its lagoon for a steady catch. 

"Notwithstanding the dangerous maneuvers and opening of water cannons, both BFAR vessels were able to resupply the Filipino fisherfolk in the vicinity of Bao de Masinloc," BFAR said in a statement Tuesday. "The BFAR will not be deterred from fulfilling its mission of patrolling all Philippine maritime zones and providing support and assistance to Filipino fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea."

The last water-cannoning incident involving a BFAR vessel occurred in August, when the China Coast Guard blocked, rammed and hosed down a Philippine patrol boat that was bound for Sabina Shoal. The attack disabled its engines and forced it to abandon its mission.

Sabina Shoal has become a new flash point for maritime confrontation between Philippine and Chinese forces, and dozens of Chinese government vessels have staked out the reef's anchorage. A Philippine Coast Guard vessel was stationed there for months to monitor foreign activity, but had to return to port in late August because a Chinese blockade left it without food and water. 

S. Korea Upgrades Ties With Philippines, Backs Manila's Maritime Rights

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol signs a strategic partnership agreement in Manila, October 7 (Malacanang)

Published Oct 8, 2024 9:38 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

South Korea has added its weight to the Philippines' effort to defend the rule of law in the South China Sea, where China's ambitions have created friction with coastal states. In a memorandum of understanding signed in Manila on Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol agreed to upgrade his nation's ties with Manila to a "strategic partnership" and to support the Philippine military's modernization. 

"We shared a common understanding about the importance of peace, stability and safety in the South China Sea," Yoon said in brief remarks. "Our two countries will continue to work together in order to establish a rules-based maritime order and for the freedom of navigation."

The agreement reaffirms Korean support for the 2016 arbitral ruling that favored Manila's maritime rights. That year, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague found that China's sweeping claims in the western Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone were not supported by international law. China has refused to recognize the ruling and has continued to occupy reefs and islands within the EEZ. 

"From here, there is nowhere else to go but up," Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said at the signing ceremony. "As we chart the future direction of our relations, the way forward is clear: the time for us to elevate the ties between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea to a strategic relationship."

The accord cements the longstanding defense export relationship between the two nations. South Korea is among the Philippines' leading suppliers of weaponry, including fighters and surface combatants. Yoon said that South Korea will "actively take part . . . in the modernization of the [Armed Forces of the Philippines." 

In return, South Korea expects Philippine diplomatic support "to address the increasing security threat coming from North Korea in the context of the Korean Peninsula," south Korean Ambassador to Manila Lee Sang-hwa said last month. South Korea faces its own maritime rights issues in its border zone with North Korea, including longstanding boundary disputes and periodic military provocations. 

Chinese state-owned opinion outlet Global Times pushed back on Yoon's comments on Tuesday, and it instructed South Korea not to support the Philippines. 

"South Korea is not a South China Sea country, and it should not perceive China as a rival. Such a move will only cast a shadow on China-South Korean ties, and will bring further instabilities to the region," Global Times suggested. "Even if the Philippines receives more weapons and equipment from South Korea, Japan and the US, Manila cannot change China's position on its islands and reefs in the South China Sea."