Water Cannon Reveals Philippine Transparency Technique In opposition to China Wants Reinforcement

On August 5, the Chinese language Coast Guard (CCG) used a water cannon towards a Philippine patrol boat carrying provides to a Philippine army outpost within the Philippine Unique Financial Zone. The incident was surprising, not solely due to the CCG’s indiscriminate use of a dangerous weapon towards the Philippine Coast Guard, however due to different current successes of the Philippines’ transparency technique to spotlight China’s aggression in its EEZ. The Philippine transparency technique has achieved important measures in curbing China’s aggression and elevating worldwide assist for the Philippines. The water cannon incident reveals each the constraints of the Philippines’ technique and the motivations behind China’s actions.

The Second Thomas Shoal is an uninhabitable maritime characteristic that falls squarely throughout the Philippines’ EEZ. It lies roughly 104 nautical miles off the Philippine island of Palawan. It falls exterior any state’s territorial sea, and subsequently no state can legally declare sovereignty over it. China, nonetheless, claims the Second Thomas Shoal as its personal. In 1999, the Philippines ran aground a WWII-era former U.S. Navy vessel, the BRP Sierra Madre, and stationed Philippine Marines on it with a view to bolster its declare to the Shoal. Philippine resupply missions to the Sierra Madre have led to repeated clashes between PCG and CCG vessels, in addition to Chinese language maritime militia ships, in current months. In February, the CCG used a laser that quickly blinded Philippine personnel in February. This month’s water cannon incident marked a harmful violation of worldwide legislation and norms.

The water cannon incident was caught on video and publicized to the world as a part of the Philippines’ transparency technique. The transparency technique was launched this yr to reveal China’s violations of Philippine rights within the “West Philippine Sea,” the Philippine identify for the world of the South China Sea that falls throughout the Philippines’ EEZ. Underneath the UN Conference on the Regulation of the Sea, to which each China and the Philippines are signatories, the Philippines has the unique proper to take advantage of the dwelling and nonliving assets inside 200 nautical miles of its territorial sea. Since at the least the 2000s, China has often harassed Philippine personnel and Filipino fishermen working throughout the Philippine EEZ, swarmed its vessels round Philippine maritime options, and sought to intimidate folks dwelling on outlying Philippine islands. For instance, China’s Navy, Coast Guard, and maritime militia vessels often swarm Pag-Asa, a tiny Philippine island off the coast of Palawan, in addition to options reminiscent of Whitsun and Iroquois Reefs and Sabina Shoal. Within the 2010s, China launched an island-building program, creating synthetic islands on options throughout the Philippine EEZ. In protest, the Philippines introduced an arbitration declare towards China. In 2016, a global arbitration tribunal shaped below the UN Conference on the Regulation of the Sea invalidated China’s maritime claims within the South China Sea that lay past the borders prescribed by UNCLOS.

The transparency initiative now takes that courtroom victory to the courtroom of public opinion. The transparency technique stands in sharp distinction to the previous Philippine administration’s stance on China. Underneath President Rodrigo Duterte, China’s violations had been typically saved quiet. Since President Bongbong Marcos got here to energy in 2022, the Philippines has been extra prone to name China out for its dangerous conduct. In keeping with PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela, the PCG’s spokesperson and orchestrator of the transparency initiative, the technique goals to claim Philippine sovereignty whereas stopping pointless escalation. It makes an attempt to reveal China’s aggression and lift home and worldwide consciousness of violations of Philippine rights and sovereignty. In doing so, the Philippines hopes to stimulate worldwide discussions and construct a global coalition to assist the rule of legislation, thereby bringing worldwide strain to bear towards China.

In keeping with a presentation given by Commodore Tarriela this month on the US Indo-Pacific Command’s Navy Regulation and Operations convention, which I attended, the initiative has achieved some notable successes. First, the CCG’s operational place has modified because the outset of the initiative. Since their conduct was uncovered, the CCG is extra prone to comply with PCG ships from the facet somewhat than from behind. Even when the PCG ships are being adopted intently by a lot bigger CCG vessels, this alteration in place permits the PCG higher room to maneuver to conduct their operations. Second, the initiative has succeeded in elevating consciousness of China’s aggression within the worldwide group. The US, Japan, Australia, the EU, and different allies have spoken out extra loudly and repeatedly towards China’s aggression within the South China Sea because the transparency initiative started. To this point, the initiative has additionally uncovered China’s harsh rhetoric on Philippine claims within the South China Sea as a mere risk. The Philippine Marines stay on the Sierra Madre, and the Philippines continues to resupply it.

Nonetheless, transparency alone can not cease China’s ambitions—or mom nature. The Sierra Madre is falling aside. Analysts imagine it’s going to succumb to the weather if it isn’t considerably strengthened or changed. China stands to achieve if the previous ship sinks. Justifying the water cannon incident, China international ministry claimed that the Philippines was transporting “unlawful development supplies” to the location. To the writer’s data, Philippine authorities haven’t confirmed that the resupply ship carried constructing supplies. However the assertion reveals China’s hand. The Sierra Madre’s long-term presence in waters claimed by China is a thumb within the eye to China’s maritime claims. If China attacked the ship, the U.S.’s protection treaty obligations to the Philippines is likely to be triggered, which may result in worldwide armed battle. Nonetheless, given sufficient time, the weather could do China’s soiled work as an alternative. China’s synthetic islands are nearer to the Sierra Madre than any everlasting Philippine installations. China would be the first to reply a misery name if the ship sinks, which might make them look like worldwide heroes – and provides them cowl to occupy the Shoal.

The worldwide group should assist the Philippines proceed to reveal China’s actions—and China’s motives. However transparency alone can not cease the Sierra Madre from triggering a catastrophe. The second China can prey on the Sierra Madre’s weak point, it’s going to. The worldwide group should assist the Philippines to make sure that the Philippines’ place in its EEZ stays sturdy. In any other case, the Sierra Madre will erode fully—and worldwide legislation together with it.