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SCMP’s Asia desk

The Philippine navy has expressed alarm over the growing presence of Chinese warships and maritime militia boats around Mischief Reef in the disputed South China Sea, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr vowed to protect the country’s sovereignty and called for dialogue with Beijing.
Navy spokesman Roy Vincent Trinidad said about 200 vessels, including coastguard fleets, were swarming the outcrop some 37km away from Second Thomas Shoal, where Filipino troops are stationed on a rusty old warship.
The Philippines grounded the BRP Sierra Madre in 1999 to reinforce its claim to Second Thomas Shoal, which it calls Ayungin.
The Mischief Reef has been under China’s control since 1995 and hosts a military base.
Marcos’ plan to amend Philippine constitution for China deal sparks backlash
Trinidad said every now and then, the Chinese vessels would be deployed to different parts of the resource-rich waterway.
“So a lot of these are under the [Chinese navy’s] South Sea Fleet. It’s their grey ships,” he said on Tuesday, adding their presence was “consistent throughout the past years”.
Trinidad also said the rising stream of militia vessels could pose a threat to Philippine troops.
“What we are really concerned about is their actions towards our own troops,” he said.
He said Beijing’s naval presence would not deter the Philippine military from supporting its personnel patrolling the hotly-contested sea, where it has in the past accused the Chinese coastguard of confronting Philippine ships including firing water cannons at them.
How Philippines-China ideology clash could spike tensions in disputed waters
Trinidad’s comments came as Marcos asserted that he would “remain firm in defending our sovereignty and jurisdiction against any provocations”, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
“But at the same time, we are also seeking to address these issues with China through peaceful dialogue and consultations as two equal sovereign states,” Marcos told his Vietnamese counterpart Vo Van Thuong as he concluded a two-day state visit to Hanoi.
The Philippines and Vietnam also signed pacts to manage incidents in the South China Sea and start a communication link between their coastguards.
Marcos maintained he considered the United States and China as “key actors in maintaining peace and security, as well as economic growth and development of the region”.


He added Manila would continue to deepen military ties with Washington amid accusations from Beijing that the Southeast Asian nation was letting foreign powers meddle in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entirety of the South China Sea – where the Philippines and several other nations have competing claims – and has rejected a 2016 international ruling that ruled in favour of Manila and found China’s assertions have no legal basis.
Meanwhile, the Philippine military said April’s annual Balikatan exercises with US troops will be “bigger”, involving more drills in key bases across the country, including islands facing Taiwan.
More than 17,000 defence personnel took part in the joint war games last year.


Is the Philippines vulnerable to another military-triggered political crisis?

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Domestic helpers deserve praise for heroism in Tai Po fire

China ramps up surveillance equipment at Spratly Islands bases: US think tank

The Philippines

South China Sea: Philippines alarmed by 200 Chinese vessels at Mischief Reef, Marcos urges dialogue

Chinese structures and buildings at Mischief Reef in the South China Sea on March 20, 2022. Photo: AP

Is Marcos’ plan to amend Philippine constitution for China deal a ploy to keep his family in power?

Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr delivers his speech at Camp Aguinaldo military headquarters in Quezon city, Philippines on December 21, 2023. Photo: AP

The China-developed Kantan No.3 offshore oil platform in the northern waters of the South China Sea. Photo: Xinhua

House Speaker Martin Romualdez (centre) along with Philippine former first lady Imelda Marcos (right) and Lisa Araneta-Marcos (left), wife of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Photo: AFP

South China Sea: how ideological differences between Philippines and China could heat up tensions in disputed waters

A Philippine supply boat sails near a Chinese Coast Guard ship during a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed at a grounded warship in the South China Sea, on October 4, 2023. Photo: Reuters

A Philippine Coast Guard personnel looks through binoculars while conducting a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed at a grounded warship in the South China Sea, on October 4, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has allocated greater funding for defence and maritime security in the 2024 budget. Photo: AP

In the Philippines, are economic woes spilling into politics as President Marcos Jnr and Duterte hurl insults at each other?

Supporters of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr attend the kick-off rally for the New Philippines movement at Quirino Grandstand in Manila on January 28. Photo: AFP

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte gives a speech in Davao on Sunday. He is throwing allegations at his successor, Fernando Marcos Jnr, and even raising the prospect of removing him from office, bringing into the open a long-rumoured split between the two. Photo: AP

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr delivers a speech at the event dedicated to the launch of his Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines) programme to fight the “negativism” and “toxic politics” enveloping the government. Photo: AFP

Filipino vice-president Sara Duterte takes a selfie with her supporters during a rally in Manila. She played the peacemaker by attending both events, first joining Marcos Jnr at his Manila rally then flying to Davao City to join her family’s. Photo: EPA-EFE

Indonesia aims to avoid ‘poking China’s eye’ over weapons trade with Philippines, walk ‘political’ tightrope

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (left) and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jnr. look on before delivering a joint statement in Manila on January 10. Photo: AP

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo at a military base in the Natuna islands, which border the South China Sea in a photo released on January 8, 2020. Photo: Presidential Palace/AFP

An anti-ship missile at during a parade marking the 78th anniversary of the Indonesian Armed Forces in Jakarta on October 5, 2023. Photo: AFP

This Week in Asia

Politics

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

The Chinese warships and maritime militia boats spotted around Mischief Reef are near the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal
Manila says Beijing’s naval presence would not deter the Philippine military from supporting its personnel patrolling the South China Sea


Manila says Beijing’s naval presence would not deter the Philippine military from supporting its personnel patrolling the South China Sea.


South China Sea

China-Philippines relations

Ferdinand Marcos Jnr

South China Sea: Philippines alarmed by 200 Chinese vessels at Mischief Reef, Marcos urges dialogue

The Chinese warships and maritime militia boats spotted around Mischief Reef are near the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal Manila says Beijing’s naval presence would not deter the Philippine military from supporting its personnel patrolling the South China Sea

The Chinese warships and maritime militia boats spotted around Mischief Reef are near the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal

Manila says Beijing’s naval presence would not deter the Philippine military from supporting its personnel patrolling the South China Sea