The recent escalations at the Second Thomas Shoal, a maritime area caught between the sovereignty claims of China and the Philippines, bring to the forefront the longstanding complexities of South China Sea territorial disputes. This focal point of regional contention, lying within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) yet claimed by China as part of … Read more
Magazine Despite being repeatedly let down by its sole treaty ally, the Philippines has persisted in preserving its territorial claims and sovereign rights in the hotly-contested body of water. A Chinese coast guard boat moves near the Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 (in green) after it was hit by their water canon blast causing … Read more
The Philippines has accused China of using cyanide to catch fish at the disputed Scarborough Shoal. That joins a lengthy list of China’s environmental crimes in the South China Sea, from turning disputed reefs into artificial islands through dredging and land reclamation work to clam harvesting techniques that destroy entire coral reefs. In this interview, … Read more
The first few weeks of 2024 have already seen a serious escalation of tension between China and the Philippines in their sovereignty dispute over the Second Thomas Shoal – situated 105 nautical miles west of Palawan, Philippines, and about 600 nautical miles from Hainan, China. Since the fall of 2023, there have been several run-ins … Read more
Over the past months, the Philippines and China have been involved in repeated risky encounters around the contested Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines has a troop detachment stationed on a grounded naval vessel. In 2024, the South China Sea might become a larger hotspot than Taiwan, with major countries having a stake in limiting … Read more
Magazine “China has been harassing Philippine resupply missions for more than a decade and has been steadily increasing the intensity of their coercive tactics for at least the last five years.” Credit: Philippine Coast Guard In the second half of 2023, reports of incidents between Chinese and Philippines vessels in the South China Sea began … Read more
Even as the world’s attention is focused on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, tensions continue to rise in Southeast Asia between the Philippines and China. Recent incidents at sea between the two have been the worst in more than a decade. The United States, through its active presence in the region and treaty alliance … Read more
India’s increasing involvement in the South China Sea under Prime Minister Narendra Modi – including India’s offer to provide helicopters to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) amidst the rising tensions between Manila and Beijing – has raised China’s concerns. Beijing is wondering whether India can be a new “troublemaker” – a label generally applied to … Read more
Flashpoints | Security | Southeast Asia The Philippines’ bold and creative moves to defy China provide a powerful example to the other Southeast Asian nations on how they, too, can resist Chinese interference. In this handout photo provided by the Malacanang Presidential Communications Office, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., center right, listens during an emergency meeting with the defense … Read more
Advertisement Over the past two years, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has played a frontline role in Manila’s pursuit of maritime safety and security. From exposing China’s bad behavior at sea and enforcing the 2016 Arbitral Award to introducing administrative reforms that led to the hiring of thousands of additional personnel to guard the country’s … Read more