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.
INCREASED RISK: The Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant has higher immune evasive capacity, but the CECC is more concerned about newer subvariants such as XBB and BQ.1 With the peak season for infectious respiratory diseases coming to an end, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that details of the next phase of lifting COVID-19 masking rules — removing the mask requirement in most indoor settings — are to be announced this week. Discussions on lifting other COVID-19 restrictions are also being held, including further easing border control measures, home isolation requirements and revising the definition for reporting cases, while also downgrading COVID-19 to a lower category of notifiable communicable disease, said Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the CECC. As the daily
CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT: A new committee would investigate a backlog of US weapons sales to Taiwan, said its chairman, US Representative Mike Gallagher The US should formally recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, and end its outdated and counterproductive “one China” policy, US Representative Tom Tiffany and 18 other US lawmakers wrote in a petition. “It is time to change the status quo and recognize the reality denied by the US government for decades: Taiwan is an independent nation,” Tiffany told the Epoch Times. “As our long-standing and valued partner, correctly acknowledging their independence from communist China is long overdue.” The resolution also asks the administration of US President Joe Biden to support Taiwan’s membership in international organizations and to negotiate a bilateral free-trade
GUT FEELING: In the leaked memo, US Air Force General Mike Minihan urged mobile command personnel to go to a firing range, shoot at a target and ‘aim for the head’ A four-star US Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025 — most likely over Taiwan — and urged his commanders to push their units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year. In an internal memorandum that first emerged on social media on Friday, and was later confirmed as genuine by the Pentagon, Air Mobility Command Commander General Mike Minihan said that the main goal should be to deter “and, if required, defeat” China. “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” Minihan said. Minihan said that Taiwan’s presidential election
DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM: Czech president-elect Petr Pavel said his nation stands firmly on the side of democracy and would boost cooperation with Taipei in all aspects Czech president-elect Petr Pavel spoke by telephone with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday, a highly unusual move given the lack of formal ties and a diplomatic coup for Taipei. Tsai spoke with Pavel for 15 minutes in a harmonious atmosphere, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said, adding that Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) was also present during the conversation. Lin quoted Pavel as telling Tsai that Taiwan is a trustworthy partner, adding that the Czech Republic stands firmly on the side of democracy and supports Taiwan in maintaining a lively democratic system free from authoritarian coercion. The Czech Republic would
RSS