Tense Situation Between China And The Philippines Over Warship Removal From South China Sea

A dispute between the Philippines and China regarding a sunken war vessel has heated up.

Footage posted on Tuesday by China’s coast guard shows that its ship is spraying a Filipino vessel with a water cannon in what Beijing called a “warning” to Manila.

The vessel from the Philippines was loaded with supplies for a grounded warship in a disputed location in the South China Sea.

The warship, which dates back to World War Two, is used by the Philippines as a military outpost.

It was purposefully grounded in 1999 to reinforce Manila’s sovereignty claims in the Spratly archipelago.

While Beijing wants the vessel to be towed away immediately, Manila continues defiantly.

Philippine’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said they would continue asserting their sovereignty. The Philippines will maintain its territorial rights in the face of these unprecedented challenges following international law and the UN Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

In response, China’s Foreign Ministry published a statement to reiterate its request to remove the warship, adding that its sincerity and goodwill on the matter were ignored.

Saturday’s incident is the latest in the huge complaints Manila has been lodging against China.

In February 2023, the Philippines reportedly accused the Chinese coast guards of using a laser to disrupt another resupply mission for its troops.

China claims its sovereignty over nearly the South China Sea, which overlaps with the waters of Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

References: Tribune India, Reuters, Yahoo! News

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Source: Maritime Shipping News