South China Sea: Filipino activists stage ‘sea concert’ to resist Beijing claims

Combining protest with performance, Filipino activists staged a “sea concert” near the disputed Thitu Island in the South China Sea this week – a symbolic act of resistance that analysts say may not advance legal claims but could help galvanise regional solidarity and draw global attention.

The event, organised by the Atin Ito (This Is Ours) coalition, took place aboard the civilian vessel M/V Kapitan Felix Oca, which set sail from Palawan in the early hours of Tuesday carrying volunteers and artists from across Southeast Asia.

Hours into the journey, the ship and its two Philippine coastguard escorts were shadowed by Chinese coastguard vessels, which issued a radio challenge asserting Beijing’s sovereignty over the area. A voice from one of the Chinese ships cited “China’s domestic law and international law” – including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – and claimed a 2016 arbitral ruling was “illegal” and China “neither accepts nor recognises” it.

The Philippine coastguard stated the vessels were operating lawfully within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), referencing the country’s Maritime Zones Act, UNCLOS, and a 2016 Hague tribunal decision that invalidated China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea. A female crew member was heard telling the Chinese vessels they had “no legal authority to patrol” the area and should “depart immediately”.

“They should not be here. This is ours,” he told reporters, recalling how a previous Atin Ito mission in December 2023 was aborted following Chinese harassment near the Second Thomas Shoal.