A WWII-era military ship has been stranded since 1999 near Second Thomas Shoal, an atoll in the Spratly archipelago in southern China, which is nothing more than a hundred small islands claimed by China and some of the Southeast. Asian countries.

The ship hasn’t been there for 24 years by chance, but it has a specific purpose. The name of the US-built ship, the Sierra Madre, was voluntarily run aground by the Philippines to claim sovereignty over the small herd. The remains of the wreck serve as an outpost garrisoned by the Manila army. And – frankly – Beijing does not like this, which for years has been asking the Philippine government to remove the ship from Second Thomas Shoal, known as Ayungin in the Philippines and Ren’ai in China.

The ship Sierra Madre (Source: LaPresse)

The request was denied to the sender. So much so that, reviewing the pro-Chinese stance of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. denied the existence of a bilateral agreement to remove the military ship from the disputed area. “I am not aware of any such agreement or any such agreement that the Philippines would remove one of its ships, in this case the BRP Sierra Madre. Let me go further, if there is, I cancel it. son of the Filipino dictator who transformed it into one of his regimes, immediately,” he boomed.

Marcos Jr.’s anger is evident, and a recent incident has heightened tensions between Beijing and Manila. Let’s return to Second Thomas Shoal, less than 200 kilometers from the Philippine island of Palawan and over a thousand off the coast of China. Here, since 1999, Philippine units have periodically sent supplies to sailors stationed in the wreck. But their operations were jeopardized last weekend by weapons from the Chinese coast guard. Not missiles or shells, but water. Chinese ships used pressurized water to stop two Filipino boats to resupply their sailors on the Second Thomas Shoal.

The moment when the Chinese coast guard used water cannon against Philippine troops

One show of force hardened enough to push the Philippine president to launch an official protest is another in addition to the more than 400 that have already been held since 2020. Manila described China’s actions as “illegal, excessive, and offensive” and called in protest to Chinese ambassador Huang Xilian, where Philippine foreign minister Enrique Manalo “issued a verbal memo containing images and videos of the incident”, stating that he intends to protect the country’s sovereignty. assured.

The warning was not well received by Beijing, who presented its action as “a simple warning to ships entering Chinese waters illegally.” In a series of allegations, China has defended itself by claiming it had previously told the Philippines not to send boats containing materials “that could be used for large-scale repairs and reinforcements” to the warship.

President Marcos Jr. knows that China has many supporters, such as Southeast Asian countries and Japan, who have repeatedly had to respond to menacing displays of dominance over disputed territories.

In this conflict between Manila and Beijing, Washington, which had taken its defense from its former colonies, stepped in. Following the event of the threat to Philippine ships, the State Department ensured the effectiveness of the 1951 US-Philippines mutual defense pact (very similar to Article 5 of the NATO Treaty) in the event of a military attack by Beijing. In retaliation, China urged the United States to “stop using the South China Sea issue to spark conflict”.

The presence of US naval forces on Philippine soil worries the US. In Palawan—the island a few hundred kilometers from the atoll on which Sierra Madre landed—is one of four military bases that the Philippine government has recently granted access to the US military for joint training. Storage of equipment and construction of structures such as runways and accommodation based on the Advanced Defense Cooperation Agreement signed by Manila and Washington in February 2023. In short, China’s displays of force have alarmed the United States and its allies in the region.

So why do the Asian giant and the countries bordering the waters of the South China Sea claim regional sovereignty over some islands? The reason is simple: important sea routes pass through it, and the area is an enormous resource and fish mine. That’s why in 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping rejected the decision of the international court in The Hague, which called for the Philippines to settle the dispute over some islands in the South China Sea that China also claims. A resolution that acknowledges Manila’s reasons – non-binding. But which one will be considered “waste paper” for Beijing. After the International Court’s statement, Xi argued that the islands in the South China Sea have been considered Chinese territory since ancient times, and that the country’s territorial sovereignty will not be affected by an international court’s decision.

Beijing uses cannon to defend its territory. With water. For now, China does not want to cross the red line that will lead to US intervention in the South China Sea. Where the possibility of a military incident between the two superpowers is becoming increasingly concrete.