Philippines defies China, aims to continue military presence in South China Sea

Even though it anticipates more Chinese vessels to be sent to the region, the Philippine Coast Guard said on Saturday that it will continue its routine supply missions to troops stationed on a disputed atoll in the South China Sea. A small contingent of soldiers residing on an antiquated warship that was purposefully grounded on the Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to assert Manila’s sovereignty claims over the atoll receives supplies from the Philippines on a regular basis. China has stationed hundreds of ships to patrol the Second Thomas Shoal and almost all of the South China Sea. The Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson, Jay Tarriela, told a press conference, “We are still going to carry out these dangerous missions despite our limited number of vessels and despite the increasing number of Chinese vessels they are going to deploy.” In an attempt to outmanoeuvre its Philippine counterpart, the coast guard of China is deploying smaller vessels, according to Tarriela. “We have to make sure the supplies will still reach our troops,” she said. He made his remarks the day after the Chinese coast guard was denounced by the Philippines for “unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous manoeuvres,” which included attacking one of its boats with a water cannon in an effort to obstruct a resupply mission. China’s Embassy in Manila declared on Saturday that its coast guard had taken the appropriate legal action against ships operating in the Philippines. The United States and the Philippines have inked a defence treaty, and the U.S. State Department declared on Saturday that it supports the latter. “We urge the PRC (People’s Republic of China) to respect the high seas freedoms of navigation guaranteed to all states under international law,” it said in a statement, reaffirming its commitment to the defence treaty. The pro-China stance of his predecessor has been reversed by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, who has pursued warmer ties with Washington, which has increased tension in the South China Sea. (With agency inputs)