Territorial disputes in the South China Sea have been a long-lasting issue. The international community (including the United Nations, International Court and ASEAN) has tried to alleviate or resolve sovereignty disputes over islands in the South China Sea through different means over the years. But most of them only have an announcement effect without fundamentally resolving sovereignty disputes. Two countries are engaging in heated disputes, i.e. China and the Philippines.
Various disputes between China and the Philippines have occurred over islands in the South China Sea since the beginning of 2023. The Philippine Coast Guard accused a Chinese coast guard ship of directing a military-grade laser light at a Philippine vessel near Second Thomas Shoal guarded by the Philippine Marine Corps in early February. The Philippine Foreign Ministry lodged a protest with China. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. even summoned the Chinese ambassador to express concern about the incident. A Chinese frigate, a coast guard ship and forty militia vessels were spotted near waters of Thitu Island administered by the Philippines in early March. Statement released by the Philippine Coast Guard said that Chinese ships’ presence was not authorized and clearly inconsistent with the right of innocent passage and a blatant violation of the Philippines’ territorial integrity. The Philippine Coast Guard installed five navigation buoys carrying the national flag in five areas within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea to counter China and declare sovereignty on May 14th.
The Philippines’ action infuriated China. China’s Ministry of Transport announced on May 24th that it had deployed three navigation beacons in waters near Irving Reef, Whitsun Reef and Gaven Reef in the Spratly Islands to ensure the safety of ships' navigation and operations. China’s largest naval training ship Qi Jiguang started a friendly tour to Southeast Asia in late May. It transited the South China Sea and visited Vietnam, Thailand and Brunei before sailing to the Philippines on June 9th. Ding Duo, deputy director of the Research Center for Ocean Law and Policy at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS), said during an interview that China is the true owner of islands and reefs in the South China Sea.
Since his inauguration on June 30th, 2022, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has adopted a tougher stance on China and is inclined to cooperate with the U.S to counter the rising China. The Philippines announced in early April that it would grant access to four military bases to the U.S. military. The U.S. also revealed the expansion of military presence in the Philippines, the main purpose of which is to respond to natural disasters and humanitarian crises. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was invited to visit the U.S. on April 30th and held talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on May 1st. The two sides expressed their willingness to strengthen bilateral trade and military relations.
Nevertheless, the Philippines still tries to forge closer ties with China while strengthening relationship with the U.S. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. paid a three-day state visit to China in early January. It was his first state visit outside of Southeast Asia since taking office, demonstrating the importance of bilateral relations. China is not only the Philippines’ largest trading partner but also its largest import sources and second largest exports market. Moreover, the two sides have long-standing people-to-people cultural exchanges and established a consultation mechanism on the South China Sea to discuss issues ranging from search and rescue at sea, exploitation of oil and gas to marine fishery.
Territorial disputes over islands in the South China Sea remain unresolved. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. seems to be inclined to strengthen the U.S.-Philippine alliance to deal with the rising Asian power. However, he still has to take into account the importance of geopolitical economy to the Philippines. This highlights that how Ferdinand Marcos Jr. develops bilateral or even multilateral cooperation amid U.S.-China competition will be a tough issue which needs to be prudently addressed by diplomatic efforts.
（Samuel C. Y. Ku, Professor of the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages）
(Translated to English by Cindy Li)
