A wrecked Philippine navy transport ship perched on a remote coral reef could be the next flashpoint in the South China Sea, where Taiwan, China and four other claimants bitterly dispute territory, officials say.
The Philippines is accusing China of encroachment after three Chinese ships, including a naval frigate, converged just 5 nautical miles (9 km) from an old transport ship that Manila ran aground on a reef in 1999 to mark its territory.
Philippine officials say they fear the Chinese ships will block supplies to about a dozen Filipino marines stationed in abject conditions on the rusting ship, raising tensions over one of Asia’s biggest security issues.
Photo: Reuters
The area, known as Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙), is a strategic gateway to Reed Bank (Lile Bank, 禮樂灘), believed to be rich in oil and natural gas. In 2010, Manila awarded a consortium a licence to explore for gas on the Reed Bank, but drilling stalled last year due to the presence of Chinese ships.
The shoal is one of several possible flashpoints in the South China Sea that could force the US to intervene in defense of its Southeast Asian allies.
Manila says the Reed Bank, about 148km west of Palawan Island at the southwestern end of the Philippine archipelago, is within the country’s 200 nautical mile (370.4km) exclusive economic zone.
Beijing says it is part of the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), a group of 250 uninhabitable islets, claimed entirely by Taiwan, China and Vietnam, and in part by Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines.
“China should pull out of the area because under international law, they do not have the right to be there,” Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said. He added that the Chinese ships were a “provocation and illegal presence.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei (洪磊) said on Tuesday that the Second Thomas Shoal was part of the Spratly Islands, over which China had “indisputable sovereignty.”
“It is beyond reproach for Chinese boats to carry out patrols in these waters,” Hong said, adding that China called on all parties to “refrain from taking actions that complicate the situation.”
A report issued on Tuesday by Chinese military think tank the Center for National Defense Policy said it was the US’ “pivot” back to Asia which had “shattered” the relative calm of the South China Sea, warning of a crisis ahead.
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
POSSIBILITIES EMERGE: With Taiwan’s victory and Japan’s narrow win over Australia, Taiwan now have a chance to advance if South Korea also beat the Aussies Taiwan has high hopes that the national baseball team would advance to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-finals after clinching a crucial 5-4 victory over South Korea in a nail-biting extra-inning game at the Tokyo Dome yesterday. Boosted by three home runs — two solo shots by Yu Chang (張育成) and Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) and a two-run homer by Stuart Fairchild — the triumph gave Taiwan a much-needed second victory in the five-team Pool C, where only the top two finishers would advance to the knockout stage in Miami, Florida. Entering extra innings with the game tied at four apiece, Taiwan scored
MISSION OF PEACE: The foreign minister urged Beijing to respect Taiwan’s existence as an independent nation, and work together to ensure peace and stability in the region Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday rejected Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) comments about Taiwan, criticizing China as a “troublemaker” in the international community and a disruptor of cross-strait peace. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the Chinese National People’s Congress, Wang said that Taiwan has always been a territory of China and that it would be impossible for it to become its own country. The “return” of Taiwan to China was the natural outcome of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japan in World War II, and that any pursuit of independence was “doomed
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
RSS