The latest South China Sea clash saw China’s coast guard wielding axes and a Philippine sailor lose his thumb in an escalation that underscored Beijing’s willingness to see how far it can push Manila—and its allies in Washington.
Philippines Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro quickly walked back Bersamin’s comments, vowing the country wouldn’t publish its plans to send resupply missions to a decrepit World War II-era ship grounded at Second Thomas Shoal. And video footage showed the collision was no accident. China was unbowed, sticking with its claims to a huge swath of the South China Sea despite an international tribunal striking down that view.
The Philippine president has made clear what his red line is, saying earlier this year that the death of a Philippine service member by “an attack from any foreign power” would prompt him to invoke the terms of the defense treaty. President Joe Biden echoed that position in a meeting with Marcos and Japan’s prime minister in Washington.
“The Filipinos’ behavior is predictable in making an outcry, and so on and so forth, but the point is, are they determined to challenge China — to stand and have a conflict? I don’t think so,” Zhou Bo, a retired senior colonel in the People’s Liberation Army, said in an interview. Last week’s clash and the relatively muted response have prompted some soul-searching in the Philippines. Rommel Ong, a retired rear admiral in the Philippine Navy, said his government’s strategy lacked coherence and that the latest incident has stoked perceived divisions among the rank and file.
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