Vessels have been rammed, punctured with knives, damaged by water cannon and targeted by military-grade lasers. Now the Philippines’ US ambassador has warned the aggression must be reduced to avoid conflict
Philippine Coast Guard personnel prepare rubber fenders after Chinese Coast Guard vessels blocked their way to a resupply mission at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea in March 2024.Philippine Coast Guard personnel prepare rubber fenders after Chinese Coast Guard vessels blocked their way to a resupply mission at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea in March 2024.
“The recent tensions have been much more physical, there’s been a lot more contact between Philippine and Chinese ships,” said Harrison Prétat, deputy director and fellow with the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, who added that while there have previously been spikes in tensions between Vietnam and China, the Philippines is a US treaty ally.
The dispute over the South China Sea is long-running and volatile, and China has for years been accused of aggressive acts against neighbouring country’s vessels.Chinese Coast Guard vessels fire water cannon towards a Philippine resupply vessel in May 2024 on its way to Second Thomas Shoal.The South China Sea is one of the world’s most important trade routes, and a strategically important waterway, but it is at the centre of a fierce dispute.
Analysts say Beijing has essentially imposed a blockade on the Sierra Madre, which is severely degraded after more than two decades at sea, and warn China could take the shoal in the event the ship crumbles.
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