BANGKOK (AP) — China has been at odds with many other countries in the Asia-Pacific region for years over its vast maritime claims, including almost the entire South China Sea, a strategic waterway and rich in resources around which Beijing has drawn a 10 -a dashed line on official maps to demarcate what it says on its territory.
Beijing is in the midst of a massive military expansion and is increasingly assertive in pursuing its demands, giving rise to more frequent direct confrontations, mainly with the Philippines, although it is also involved in territorial disputes long-standing with Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. .
A 2016 arbitration ruling by a United Nations court invalidated Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea, but China did not participate in the proceedings and rejected the ruling.
Fishing rights, access to underwater reserves of oil and other natural resources, and the possibility of establishing military outposts are at stake.
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The United States, the Philippines’ partner, has raised concerns about China’s actions and President Joe Biden has pledged “ironclad” support for Manila. This has raised fears that if an incident escalates, it could spark a wider conflict.
In the latest incident, a Chinese ship and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Monday. The Chinese coast guard said a Philippine supply ship entered waters near the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands that is part of a territory claimed by several countries. The Philippine military called the Chinese Coast Guard report “misleading and misleading.”
Here’s a look at some other incidents and developments over the past few months:
June 4: Philippine officials say the Chinese coast guard seized food intended for Philippine naval personnel at an outpost on Second Thomas Shoal. Philippine General Romeo Brawner says the Chinese might have suspected the packages contained construction materials intended to reinforce the rusting Philippine Navy ship deliberately beached at Second Thomas Shoal to serve as a Philippine outpost.
May 16: About 100 Filipino activists on wooden boats change their plans to distribute food to Filipinos based on the Second Thomas Bank after being followed by Chinese coast guard ships throughout the night. Instead, they are distributing food parcels and fuel to the southeast of the disputed territory.
April 30: Chinese coast guard vessels fire water cannons at two Philippine patrol vessels near Scarborough Reef, another highly contentious area where tensions have flared intermittently. Philippine officials say the water cannons could damage their ships’ engines and even capsize smaller vessels. China called the move a “necessary measure,” accusing the Philippines of violating China’s sovereignty. China has also reinstalled a floating barrier at the entrance to the vast shoal fishing lagoon.
April 23: A Chinese coast guard vessel blocks a Philippine patrol vessel near Second Thomas Shoal, causing a near collision. Before the incident, a Chinese navy ship had followed two Philippine patrol boats as they sailed near Subi, one of seven barren reefs in the Spratly Islands that China has transformed over the past decade into a pre- island military post protected by missiles. Subi is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.
March 23: Chinese coast guards hit a Philippine supply boat with water cannons near Second Thomas Shoal, injuring crew members and damaging the ship, according to Philippine officials. China says the Philippines entered its territorial waters despite repeated warnings.
March 5: Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels are involved in a minor collision off the Second Thomas Shoal, and four Filipino crew members are injured when China blasts a supply boat with water cannons, breaking his windshield. China’s coast guard says the Philippine vessels illegally entered the region’s waters and accused one of ramming a Chinese vessel.
January 12: The captain of a Philippine fishing boat claims Chinese coast guards took him away from Scarborough Shoal and forced him to throw his catch into the sea.
December 9, 2023: Chinese coast guard surrounds a supply ship and blasts it with a water cannon in the area around Second Thomas Shoal. The head of the Philippine army, who was on board the supply boat, says they were also “struck” by a Chinese ship.
November 10, 2023: China blasts a Philippine supply ship with a water cannon near Second Thomas Shoal; China says it acted appropriately under maritime law to defend its territory.
October 22, 2023: A Chinese coast guard vessel and its accompanying ship ram a Philippine coast guard vessel and a military supply boat near the Second Thomas Shoal. China’s coast guard says the Philippine vessels “trespassed” into what it claims are Chinese waters.
September 26, 2023: The Philippine Coast Guard says it has removed a floating barrier that blocked the entrance to the Scarborough Shoal lagoon, put in place by China to prevent Philippine fishing boats from entering. China will later replace the barrier.
