What disputed territories are China and Philippines sparring over in the South China Sea?
Summary
TLDRThis video discusses rising tensions between China and the Philippines over disputed territories in the South China Sea, particularly the Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands. The conflict escalated with recent clashes involving Chinese and Philippine vessels. The Philippines has accused China of interfering with its sovereignty, while China continues to assert its claims, despite a 2016 ruling in favor of the Philippines by an international tribunal. The video also touches on the strengthening of US-Philippine relations and broader geopolitical implications in the region, involving countries like India and Vietnam.
Takeaways
- 🌊 Tensions between China and the Philippines have escalated due to disputes over the Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
- 🤝 India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited the Philippines, expressing India's support for the Philippines' national sovereignty, a stance rejected by China.
- 🚢 The Philippines accused the Chinese Coast Guard of using water cannons to injure its personnel in disputed waters near the Second Thomas Shoal.
- 🏝️ The Scarborough Shoal lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, while China claims the entire Spratly Islands archipelago, leading to ongoing territorial disputes.
- ⚖️ In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines, rejecting China's claims over large areas of the South China Sea, but China has disregarded the ruling.
- 🔄 Since the end of Rodrigo Duterte's presidency, the Philippines has strengthened its ties with the US under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., including revising a Mutual Defense Treaty and increasing US military base access.
- 💥 The Philippines and the US have conducted large-scale joint military exercises, with 18,000 soldiers participating in the latest drills.
- ⛽ The Spratly Islands and nearby waters are believed to hold rich fishing grounds and potential oil and gas deposits, fueling the dispute.
- 🗺️ In August 2023, China released a controversial map asserting its claims over the South China Sea, including areas ruled against in the 2016 court decision, sparking protests from the Philippines, India, Vietnam, and others.
- 🚨 China's use of 'gray zone' and hybrid warfare tactics, such as using Coast Guard and fishing vessels to assert its claims, has intensified tensions in the region.
Q & A
What are the primary reasons for the recent tensions between China and the Philippines?
-The tensions are mainly over disputed territories in the South China Sea, particularly the Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands, which are rich in fishing areas and potential gas and oil deposits.
What are the Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands, and why are they important?
-The Scarborough Shoal is located about 120 nautical miles west of the Philippine island of Luzon, within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. The Spratly Islands consist of over 100 islands and reefs, with both China and the Philippines (along with other nations) claiming parts of the archipelago. These areas are important due to their rich fishing grounds and potential energy resources.
How has the Philippines responded to Chinese actions in the South China Sea?
-The Philippines has accused China of using aggressive tactics, such as water cannon attacks by the Chinese Coast Guard, and preventing the resupply of Philippine personnel at the Second Thomas Shoal. The Philippines has also summoned Beijing’s envoy to address these incidents.
What is the significance of the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration?
-In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines, stating that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources in the South China Sea and found that China had interfered with Philippine rights. China rejected this ruling, despite being a signatory to the treaty that established the tribunal.
How have the Philippines' ties with the US changed in recent years?
-Since the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2022, the Philippines has strengthened its military ties with the US, revising the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and allowing the US access to more military bases in the Philippines. The two countries also held their largest joint military exercise in history in 2023.
What role has India's External Affairs Minister played in this dispute?
-India's External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, visited the Philippines and expressed India's support for the Philippines' sovereignty, a stance that China rejected.
What were some of the key actions taken by former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte regarding China and the US?
-Rodrigo Duterte initially signaled a shift away from the US towards China and Russia during his presidency, but later issued warnings to China, particularly regarding their actions around the Philippines' largest outpost in the South China Sea.
What is China's 'gray zone' and hybrid warfare in the context of the South China Sea?
-China's 'gray zone' and hybrid warfare refers to tactics that fall short of full-scale conflict, such as using Coast Guard and fishing vessels to assert control over disputed waters and create pressure on other nations without engaging in direct military conflict.
What impact did China's release of the 2023 standard map have on regional relations?
-China's 2023 standard map included claims to the Scarborough Shoal, Spratly Islands, and other contested territories, which led to protests from countries such as India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei, as they considered these areas part of their own sovereign territories.
Why did China not participate in the 2016 legal proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration?
-China chose not to participate in the 2016 arbitration despite being a signatory to the treaty that established the court, likely because it disagreed with the tribunal's authority over its maritime claims and refused to accept any ruling against its interests.
Outlines
🌏 Rising Tensions in the South China Sea
This paragraph discusses the escalating tensions between China and the Philippines over disputed waters in the South China Sea, focusing on two key territories: Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands. It describes how these disputes have led to confrontations, such as a recent water cannon attack by the Chinese Coast Guard on Philippine personnel near the Second Thomas Shoal. It also highlights the geopolitical shifts, including the renewed ties between the Philippines and the United States under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., contrasted with the previous administration's approach under former President Rodrigo Duterte, who sought closer alignment with China and Russia.
🧭 2016 Tribunal Ruling and China's Maritime Claims
This paragraph centers around the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which dismissed China's extensive maritime claims in the South China Sea. The ruling stated there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights over the resources in the disputed waters, including the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal. Despite this ruling, China continues to assert its claims, as seen in the 2023 edition of its standard map, which includes areas claimed by neighboring countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and India. The paragraph also mentions the significance of Reed Bank, a site of conflict where a Philippine boat was sunk by a Chinese vessel.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡South China Sea
💡Scarborough Shoal
💡Spratly Islands
💡Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
💡Rodrigo Duterte
💡Bongbong Marcos Jr.
💡2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration Ruling
💡Gray Zone Warfare
💡Second Thomas Shoal
💡1951 Mutual Defense Treaty
Highlights
Tensions between China and the Philippines have reached a new high, driven by disputes over the South China Sea.
India's external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, stated that India backs the Philippines in upholding its national sovereignty.
Disputes mainly focus on two territories: the Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands, both claimed by the Philippines and China.
In March 2023, the Philippines accused the Chinese Coast Guard of injuring its personnel with a water cannon attack near the Second Thomas Shoal.
The Spratly Islands are home to rich fishing areas and potential gas and oil deposits, adding to their strategic importance.
Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was seen as aligning with China and Russia, impacting US-Philippines relations.
Current Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has strengthened ties with the US, revising a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.
The Philippines granted the US access to four additional military bases, adding to five already in use, enhancing military cooperation.
In April 2023, the US and the Philippines conducted their largest joint military exercise, involving 18,000 soldiers.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines, rejecting China's maritime claims in the South China Sea.
The 2016 ruling found no legal basis for China's historic claims to resources within the areas of dispute.
China ignored the legal proceedings despite being a signatory to the treaty establishing the tribunal.
Countries like India and the US refer to the 2016 ruling as evidence of China's unlawful maritime claims.
In 2023, China released a new standard map that included disputed areas, escalating tensions with the Philippines and other countries.
China's 2023 map was contested by multiple countries, including India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei.
Transcripts
hello and welcome to the print in this
special video we explain why tensions
between China and the Philippines have
reached a new high we saw India's
external affairs minister SJ Shanker
travel to the country this week where he
said India backs the Philippines in
upholding its National sovereignity a
remark that the Chinese foreign Ministry
rejected now this comes amid Rising
tensions between China and the
Philippines over disputed Waters in the
South China Sea tensions between the two
countries have escalated over the last 2
years mainly over two disputed
territories the scabo schol and the
spratly islands now the scabo schol is
about 120 nautical miles west of the
Philippine island of Luzon and is
considered a part of the Philippines
exclusive economic zone the spratly
islands is a group of over 100 islands
and reefs and while the Philippines
claims some parts China lays claim to
the entire archipelago on 2 third March
the Philippines accused the Chinese
Coast Guard of injuring its Personnel in
a water cannon attack near the second
Thomas sh Manila summoned beijing's
Envoy over the incident which was the
second attack at the disputed sha within
a month now you must be wondering what
is the second Thomas schol it is one of
the many disputed territories in the
spratly islands that we just talked
about many of these islands and reefs in
the spratly islands are home to Rich
fishing areas and potential gas and oil
deposits but before we go any further
let's zoom out and assess the changing
geopolitical situation in the region in
the last couple of years we've seen an
escalation of tensions between the
Philippines and China in the South China
Sea marked by controversial efforts by
the Chinese Coast Guard vessels and
fishing boats in disputed Waters and
even collisions between Chinese and
Philippine vessels some analysts call
this China's way of exploiting gry Zone
and hybrid Warfare
techniques so what's happened in the
last two years for one former
Philippines president Rodrigo duterte
who was viewed as anti-us left office if
you recall in October 2016 he had
created quite a stir after announcing
his quote unquote separation from the US
during a conference in Beijing implying
that he was aligning himself with China
and Russia and though duterte attempted
to scale back his remarks it definitely
cast a sh Shadow over us Philippines
bilateral ties that said in April 2019
duterte did Issue a Stern warning to
China to lay off paga ASA referring to
the site of Philippines largest Outpost
in the South China Sea at the same time
hundreds of Chinese Coast Guard and
fishing vessels had surrounded the
island now ties with the US were
re-energized after current Philippines
president ferdinan bong bong maros Jr
took office in June
2022 under him the the two countries
revised guidelines in a 1951 Mutual
defense treaty which stated that Mutual
defense commitments would be invoked in
an armed attack on either country
anywhere in the South China Sea last
April the Philippines gave the us access
to four additional military bases which
allows the US military to store defense
equipment and supplies on those bases
this is in addition to the five existing
Philippines sites that the US had access
to bring the total number to nine
last April both countries also held
their largest military exercise in
history with nearly 18,000 soldiers from
both Nations taking part in drills and
these are just a few examples of how the
US and the Philippines have been coming
closer together in the last couple of
years since we're talking about Maritime
tensions between the Philippines and
China we also need to look at what
happened in 2016 at the permanent Court
of arbitration which is essentially an
international court that sits in the ha
Netherlands now in 2013 the Philippines
filed a casee against China at this
court accusing Beijing of excessive
Maritime claims at scabo sh and in the
spratly islands with regard to the
second Thomas sha the site of the recent
water cannon incident Philippines had
accused China of one interfering with
its rights of navigation in The Waters
at and adjacent to the sh and two
preventing the rotation and resupply of
Philippine Personnel stationed at the
Philippines also accused Beijing of
conducting dredging artificial Island
Building and construction activities at
disputed territories in spratley Islands
such as Mischief Chief and fiery cross
Chief to name a few China did not
participate in the legal proceedings
despite being a signatory to the treaty
that established this tribunal in 2016
however the tribunal decided in the
Philippines favor it found no legal
basis for China to claim historic rights
to resources within areas it laid claim
to in the South China Sea as falling
within the n-h line the court also found
that China had interfered with
Philippine petroleum exploration at Reed
bank now Reed bank is an underwater Reef
formation lying Northeast of the spratly
islands and off the Philippine island of
palavan in 2019 it was the site of a
major Clash when a Philippine fishing
boat sank after it was rammed by a
Chinese vessel there now in its judgment
the tribunal had noted that although
Chinese Navigators and fishermen had
historically made use of the islands
there was no evidence that China had
historically exercised exclusive control
over the waters or their resources while
supporting the Philippines countries
like India and the US have repeatedly
referred to this 2016 ruling as evidence
of China's quot unquote unlawful
Maritime claims just last August China
released its 202 23 edition of its
standard map which included claims to
spratly islands and scabo scha as well
as many others despite the 2016 ruling
the map included the n-h line a set of
line segments detailing China's claims
over various areas of the South China
Sea India Vietnam the Philippines
Malaysia and brune just to name a few
contested the map as it included parts
of what these countries considered a
part of their own territory this was the
same map India contested as it showed
arunachal Pradesh as part of what China
considers South Tibet as well as Akai
chin thanks so much for watching this is
P krushi for the
[Music]
تصفح المزيد من مقاطع الفيديو ذات الصلة
South China Sea Tensions: Beijing says collision took place in West Philippine sea | WION
Philippines send fishing vessels to China-claimed Scarborough Shoal | DW News
Philippines dispute Chinese maritime expansion at South China Sea | DW News
WEST PHILIPPINE SEA: Territorial Waters of the Philippines but Controlled by China?
Tit For Tat: Philippines Outwits China | Voice Of The Global South
Sabina Shoal: China Says “Patience is Limited,” The Philippines Sends Warships | From The Frontline
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)