“Sierra Madre” is a base
Beijing and Manila quarrel over rusting warship
8/8/2023 5:31 p.m
A warship has been deliberately grounded in the South China Sea for 24 years so that Philippine troops can control a reef there. That displeases Beijing. The Chinese coast guard is said to have used water cannons to disrupt the supply of the soldiers. Meanwhile, Manila insists on his rights.
China has again called on the Philippines to remove a deliberately aground warship used by Manila as a military base from the South China Sea. The Philippines had “repeatedly given clear promises to tow away the illegally ‘stranded’ warship,” said a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. After 24 years, Manila has not only not removed the ship, but “tried to repair it and fortify it on a large scale,” it said.
Beijing’s request follows an incident over the weekend in which the Chinese Coast Guard fired a water cannon on Filipino supply boats en route to the BRP Sierra Madre, according to sources in Manila. The warship was deliberately grounded in the Spratly Islands area in 1999 to stem China’s expansion into the South China Sea. Since then it has marked the country’s claim to this area.
A handful of Filipino marines are stationed on the rusting ship. They rely on regular supply missions to survive in their remote location. The ship has long been a bone of contention between Manila and Beijing. China is urging the Philippines “once again to immediately tow the ‘beached’ warship off Ren’ai Reef,” the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said, using the Chinese name for the atoll Second Thomas Shoal. The Philippine Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said the “permanent stationing” of soldiers at Second Thomas Shoal was in response to China’s “illegal occupation” of nearby Mischief Reef in 1995. Establishing a military post within one’s sphere of influence is an “inherent right.” of the Philippines.
Beijing ignores judgment from The Hague
The Second Thomas Shoal is about 200 kilometers from the Philippine island of Palawan and more than 1,000 kilometers from China’s nearest landmass, the Hainan Islands. “Let’s be clear: we will never give up on the Ayungin Shoal,” said Philippines National Security Council spokesman Jonathan Malaya, using the Filipino name for the atoll.
China claims practically the entire South China Sea for itself. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also claim territories there. The United States and China’s neighbors accuse Beijing of increasing militarization of the region. The International Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejected China’s territorial claims in 2016. Beijing ignores the verdict.