By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News
It may have been overshadowed by rising tensions between China and Taiwan – but last weekend, the conflict between Beijing and the Philippines in the South China Sea took center stage for a while.
That happened at the Shangri-La Forum in Singapore, a security forum that annually attracts defense chiefs from around the world. This year, both US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III and China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun were there.
So, too, was Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who on Friday warned Beijing not to cross what he called a “red line”. It all has to do with two shoals that lie within the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). China has ignored that designation and claims 90 percent of the South China Sea as its own.
The result: China’s coastguard has used water cannon and collision and ramming tactics to harass Philippine supply and patrol ships. Those actions came up in a question-and-answer session following Marcos’s speech.
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Marcos was asked what would happen if a Chinese water cannon killed a Filipino on one of the ships. Would that be a “red line,” the questioner asked, and would it trigger the security treaty that requires the US to come to the Philippines’ aid in the event of an attack.
“That is what I think very, very close to what we define as an act of war and therefore we will respond accordingly,” Marcos replied. “And our treaty partners, I believe, also hold that same standard.”
He added, “Once we get to that point, that is certainly, we would have crossed the Rubicon. Is that a red line? Almost certainly it’s going to be a red line.”
Austin refused to say how the US would react in case of a Filipino death. But he did say the treaty between the two countries is “ironclad.” And he said China’s activities in the South China Sea puts Filipino crews in danger and violates international law.
Not surprisingly, the Chinese defense chief sees things differently. Dong said the Philippine government has gone back on agreements signed with Beijing.
“Like a passer-by and a vehicle, he hit the vehicle by himself but then played the victim to blackmail the driver,” he said.
China recently ramped up the stakes, warning that starting June 15, it will begin arresting trespassers in waters it considers theirs.
Meanwhile, during recent joint military exercises, the US deployed medium-range missiles in the Philippines – the first time since the Cold War the US has placed such missiles in Asia. The Typhon launcher can fire the Tomahawk cruise missile and the SM-6 supersonic missile. Those two missiles could strike targets in the Taiwan Strait and the South China – along with cities China’s eastern coast.
China accused the US of “strengthening forward deployment at China’s doorstep to seek unilateral military advantage.”
In February, Washington and Manila agreed to expand the American military presence in the Philippines. US forces will have access to four more bases. It was a sign that relations between the two countries were improving after Marcos’s predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, gave Washington a difficult time and tried to develop closer ties with China and Russia.
