The Philippines has accused China of aggressively colonizing the South China Sea because of fears of a major conflict between the two countries.
This comes when a US strike group led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt returned to the area for the second time in less than two months.
During the last few weeks, about 220 Chinese paramilitary ships, manned by maritime militias, ‘swarmed’ around a disputed reef in the South China Sea, while the Philippines warned that the ‘invasions’ could ’cause unwanted hostilities’. most difficult remarks yet from Manila.
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China maintains that the vessels are merely fishing boats hiding in the area due to the poor sea conditions, but they have not fished yet and the weather was good. They also turn on powerful lights at night. The Philippine government says the vessels are part of China’s maritime militia and are manned by reservists operating under the command of the Coast Guard and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The boats are moored at the Whitsun Reef in the exclusive 200-kilometer economic zone in Manila, and there are fears that Chinese ships are trying to claim the reefs. The Philippine Minister of Defense has warned that Beijing also intends to occupy and enforce its control over more controversial territory.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed concern over China’s ambassador to Chinese vessels sailing in the South China Sea, and Vietnam has also urged Beijing to respect its maritime sovereignty. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Tuesday expressed strong concern over his Chinese counterpart over the invasion.
The reef is part of the Spratly Islands, one of the most important controversial archipelagos in the South China Sea, about 200 kilometers west of the Philippine province of Palawan. The Philippines says the foreign region is part of its territory, but China, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam claim it in whole or in part.
An international tribunal declared China’s claim to 90% of the South China Sea invalid in 2016, but Beijing did not recognize the ruling. China has been building islands in the disputed waters over the past few years, covering some of their runways. Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei all claim parts of the sea.
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Meanwhile, the USS Theodore Roosevelt also entered the South China Sea to carry out ‘routine operations’, the second time that it had arrived in the disputed waters in less than two months. The carrier group entered the South China Sea on April 4. The unit will do various exercises in the area, ranging from exercises under the submarine to ‘coordinated tactical training’.
At the same time, the very first Chinese aircraft carrier group began exercises near Taiwan, saying such exercises would become regular. The U.S. Navy said the carrier group led by Liaoning – the country’s first aircraft carrier to be actively employed – was conducting ‘routine’ exercises in the waters near Taiwan.
The aim is to ‘improve its capacity to protect national sovereignty, security and development interests’,’ he said. “Similar exercises will be carried out regularly in the future,” the Chinese navy added without expanding.
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China’s statement follows Monday’s Taiwan Defense Ministry report on a new invasion by the Chinese air force into the island’s identification zone. It is said that it “fully understands” the situation in the air and at sea around Taiwan and that it “handles the matter properly”.
Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, meanwhile oversees an overhaul of the island’s army and rolls out new offensive equipment such as “bear killer” corvettes to stem any Chinese aggression.