Photo used for representational purpose only. | Photo Credit: Reuters
China on Tuesday (August 20, 2024) warned the United States that it has “no right to interfere” in its maritime disputes with the Philippines after another clash near a disputed reef in the South China Sea.
There have been repeated clashes between China and the Philippines in the waters over the past year, including in 1999 when Manila landed a warship at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, where a military contingent is deployed.
The two countries said on Monday (August 19, 2024) that their coast guard ships had collided near the disputed Sabina Shoal, located 140 kilometers (86 miles) west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometers from the nearest Chinese landmass, Hainan Island.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, although an international tribunal has ruled that its claim has no legal basis.
The United States on Monday condemned “dangerous actions” against “legitimate Philippine maritime operations” following the latest clash.
“These actions are the latest example of (China) using dangerous and aggressive measures to pursue its expansionist and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said.
Asked about Patel’s remarks on Tuesday, her Chinese counterpart Mao Ning defended Beijing’s “legal measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.
“The US is not a party to the South China Sea and has no right to interfere in maritime disputes between China and the Philippines,” Mao said at a regular briefing.
“The US should stop provoking confrontation in the South China Sea, not disrupt regional stability and escalate tensions,” Mao said.
Analysts say Beijing aims to move eastward from Second Thomas Shoal toward the neighboring Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands, encroaching on Manila’s exclusive economic zone and asserting Chinese control over the region.
The confrontation is reminiscent of 2012, when Beijing seized control of Scarborough Shoal, another strategic site in the South China Sea closest to the Philippines.