‘Doomed to failure’: Beijing warns Manila against bolstering South China Sea outpost after ships collide

China has issued fresh warnings to the Philippines over an incident in the South China Sea earlier this month, saying Manila “resorted to deception” and that its efforts to reinforce its outpost on a disputed reef were “doomed to failure”.

When asked about a March 5 collision between Chinese and Philippine vessels near the contested Second Thomas Shoal, Chinese defence ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said on Friday that Manila infringed upon Beijing’s rights and urged the Southeast Asian country to stop any “provocative actions” that would escalate the dispute.

“The Philippine side ignored the good faith and restraint shown by the Chinese side, reneged on its words once and again and repeatedly made provocations by intruding into the waters adjacent to China’s Renai Jiao,” he said, using the Chinese name for the shoal.

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The Philippines said Chinese coastguard ships had “harassed” and fired water cannons at its vessels, and later summoned China’s deputy chief of mission in Manila to protest against the “aggressive actions”.

China defended itself by saying that the Philippine vessels had illegally intruded into waters adjacent to the reef in the Spratly Islands, known in Chinese as the Nansha Islands.

The collision was the latest confrontation involving the two countries in the South China Sea, the strategic waterway over which Beijing has vast territorial claims.

Similar to earlier confrontations, the incident took place as Philippine vessels conducted a resupply mission to the Second Thomas Shoal, where it has stationed a small number of troops.

In 1999, Manila grounded a rusting warship, the BRP Sierra Madre, on the shoal to serve as an outpost and a demonstration of its sovereign rights over the atoll. Beijing has repeatedly claimed that Manila seeks to reinforce the World War II-era vessel and has called for its removal.

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On Friday, Zhang repeated those calls, saying the Philippines had attempted to repair and reinforce the warship to permanently occupy the shoal by delivering construction materials under the guise of supplying daily necessities.

“It is the Philippine side that resorted to deception,” he said. “Such illegal and void acts severely violate China’s sovereignty and are doomed to failure.”

Zhang also framed Beijing’s actions as taking necessary measures, while claiming that some Philippine military officials had “made shows and played victim”.

“They were trying to deceive both themselves as well as others. But no matter how they perform, nobody will buy their story,” he said.

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Philippine officials have been vocal in recent months when calling out China’s actions in the disputed waterway, often trading harsh words with Beijing.

Following this month’s incident, a Philippine navy official made clear that Manila would not allow China to remove its military outpost in the Second Thomas Shoal.

Last month, when addressing the Australian parliament during a visit, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said Manila was firm in defending its sovereignty, adding that he would not allow any foreign power to take “one square inch” of the country’s territory.

The confrontations between the two Asian countries last year have drawn the Philippines closer to the United States, with Marcos set to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken next week to discuss security matters, among other issues.

In a veiled reference to the US, Zhang said that “some big powers outside the region … try to back up the Philippines, stir up trouble and create turmoil in the region”.

“Such moves of using the Philippines as a pawn for selfish gains will find no support, as they go against the common aspiration of regional countries for peace and development,” he said.

South China Morning Post