‘Dangerous manoeuvres’ in China and Philippines’ cat-and-mouse sea chase

In the South China Sea, where Beijing’s sweeping cases have alarmed the US and its supporters, a Chinese Coast Guard deliver nearly collided with the Spanish police ship.

Last Sunday, the BBC saw the uncomfortable encounter near Second Thomas Shoal in the isolated Spratly archipelago, which Manila claims is a move straight out of Beijing’s handbook. And it took place the day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines met with Taiwanese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Manila and expressed support for clear channels of communication regarding the South China Sea dispute.

News cameras captured how Chinese ships would follow the Filipinos on cue and in specific locations throughout their 1, 670 km( 1, 038-mile ) journey over the course of six days, sending them radio warnings to leave or face” consequences.” According to the Philippine Coast Guard, it had invited journalists to participate in their daily guard in the contentious waters for the first time so they could see China’s actions firsthand.

The Spratly Islands, which the Philippines already partially claim, are included in China’s claim to nearly the entire South China Sea. There are also competing statements made by Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

As a result, the South China Sea has become one of the major outposts in history, particularly as US-China tensions have risen. For starters, defending Taiwan at a time when China’s claims to the autonomous peninsula have grown stronger depends on having access to these lakes. Second, there is concern that Beijing’s expanding footprint may limit trade because the waterways also handle$ 5 trillion(£ 4 trillion ) of global trade annually.

However, China has disregarded the decision of an international arbitration court that its claim to nearly the entire South China Sea is unjustified. Alternatively, it has increased patrols, erected man-made islands over reef areas, and, more recently, blocked the view of Spanish ships by shining lasers at them.

The Philippines, on the other hand, has relied on its steadfast ally, the US, which views China’s actions as violating the” freedom of navigation” of other nations.

The US and the Philippines were finishing up their biggest warfare games ever when the stand-off occurred. The US gained access to important Spanish military home, many of which face Taiwan, shortly after this.

According to the Philippines foreign ministry, China conducted” really scary manoeuvres” at Second Thomas Shoal and Filipino leaders were well within their power to regularly guard the region. On the other hand, Beijing charged that the Philippines had entered Foreign territory.

According to Commodore Jay Tarriela, a spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard,” China has long used techniques like shadowing, but now, thanks to the media, the entire world gets to see it.”

The Chinese ship that had been following their ship Malapascua increased velocity, as evidenced by the dense gray smoke coming from its fuel, the Filipino crew noticed at dawn on April 23. A single Spanish ship, the Malabrigo, was about a kilometer away when the BBC saw the huge seas chase taking place on quite calm turquoise waters.

It eventually became apparent that the Spanish vessel could not outmanoeuvre a vessel larger than twice its shape when the Chinese fleet caught up to it. The Malapascua was forced to shut off its locomotive in order to avoid a hit because the Chinese ship blocked the path and wouldn’t move.

Due to the” sudden and really very dangerous manoeuvre ,” the Chinese ship was able to approach the Malapascua’s bow up to 45 meters( 146 feet ), according to Rodel Hernandez, the commander of the Philippine ship. His ship, which was also involved in a light motion with the Chinese in February, came the closest to colliding, he claimed.

After a 30-minute standoff, the Spanish boats turned away and were unable to police the Second Thomas Shoal, one of Manila’s some disputed outcrops and islands, which was occupied by the Sierra Madre and other run-down Navy ships.

The way brought before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 involved China’s daily obstruction of Filipino inspections and provide operations to the Second Thomas Shoal. The Filipino name Ayungin, which means” rich fishing ground,” is derived from a small local fish.

Editors who joined the police already saw firsthand how the Philippine Coast Guard has fared in the midst of the ongoing South China Sea dispute.

The two police boats’ crew members are prepared with code to alert or respond to Chinese submarines. The television instructions from the Chinese are delivered in English and Chinese and could arrive at any time of day, especially in the dead of night.

Some Chinese boats have reportedly adopted a new strategy in prior days by refusing to heed warnings from Filipinos. In order to appear undetectable on radar, some Chinese militia ships have already disabled a tracking system.

In the Spratlys’ coastal area, close to V-shaped Whitsun Reef, the coastguard mission also discovered about 100 militia ships.

It claimed to have given information about China’s subsequent actions to a government body tasked with handling the South China Sea dispute.

The coastguard pledged to” diligently and hard work to protect the Philippines’ official sovereign rights” along with other Philippine security forces.

On board the Philippine Coast Guard ship conducting a week-long guard in the South China Sea, editors including the BBC’s Virma Simonette were present.