China boasted how it was able to “drive away” the USS Higgins, an American destroyer. Along the way, the ship sailed close to the highly contested Scarborough Shoal. This latest flare up demonstrates that the South China Sea is still a pressure point. Though China recently claimed the entire region as its territory, China’s territorial claims are hotly contested by neighboring nations, especially the Philippines.
The South China Sea has indeed emerged as one of the most important international waterways on the planet. It’s the backbone of our supply chain and our economy. Global trade. This only scratches the surface of the story. Recently, China-Philippines maritime disputes have escalated, as Beijing and Manila took turns accusing each other of aggressive behavior. The Philippines has reported incidents of Chinese forces pursuing its vessels and directing lasers at patrolling aircraft close to a disputed reef.
In a more recent encounter, a Chinese warship rammed a Philippine coast guard ship. The warship was pursuing a Philippine Navy patrol boat when it struck the collision. This incident took place in the vicinity of the Scarborough Shoal, which China calls Huangyan Island. The sea has been a tinder box in Sino-Philippine relations for decades. That tension was only exacerbated after a 2016 ruling from an international arbitration tribunal based in the Netherlands rejected China’s claims, saying they had no legal or historical basis. China has consistently rejected this ruling.
The Philippines and the United States established a mutual defense treaty in 1951. This pact clarifies that any assault on Japan or the US in the Pacific would be considered an assault on both. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. responded with certainty, stating that should a Filipino be killed in an encounter with the Chinese Coast Guard, his administration would view it as almost tantamount to a declaration of war. He drove home what a dangerous position that would be.
“very, very close to what we define as an act of war” – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
China has issued an extremely vigorous condemnation of these recent actions. It characterized the USS Higgins’ operations as a significant violation of its sovereignty. A spokesperson for the Chinese government stated that such actions “severely undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea, and violate international law and basic norms governing international relations.”
The USS Higgins is assigned to the US Seventh Fleet, stationed in Yokosuka, Japan. Its deployment in the region is a clear signal of the United States’ commitment to support its allies as tensions escalate. Such military encounters are increasingly common. Naturally, regional and international stakeholders have all eyes on the rapidly unfolding developments in this strategically important area.