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By Micah McCartney
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The Philippines says that it temporarily blocked the largest vessel in China's Coast Guard fleet—and the world—from sailing closer to the coast of the heavily populated island of Luzon, amid the ship's dayslong deployment in the U.S. ally's maritime zone.
Newsweek reached out to the Philippine Coast Guard and Chinese Foreign Ministry with emailed requests for comment.
Why It Matters
China's coast guard, paramilitary "Maritime Militia," and—increasingly—naval forces have added muscle to Beijing's claims, in what many analysts consider to be "gray zone" operations, or coercive acts that stop short of war. Chinese forces have responded to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s pushback with blockades of disputed reefs, water cannon attacks, and ramming.
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What To Know
China asserts sovereignty over most of the trade-heavy South China Sea as its territory, rejecting the 2016 decision by an international arbitral court that largely dismissed these sweeping claims, which overlap with the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines and several other neighbors. An EEZ is an area extending 200 nautical miles (230 miles) from the coastline, within which maritime law accords a country sole access to natural resources.
Philippine coast guard cutter the BRP Teresa Magbanua managed "gradually" to head off Chinese coast guard ship 3304 on Saturday after seven days of the Philippines' "unwavering monitoring and vigilant pursuit of Chinese coast guard vessels illegally operating within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, the agency's spokesperson Jay Tarriela wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
China responded by deploying coast guard ship 5901, a 12,000-ton, 541-foot behemoth nicknamed "the Monster." Video footage released by the Philippines shows personnel aboard the Teresa Magbanua and a patrol plane issuing radio challenges.
"You do not possess any legal authority to patrol within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. You are directed to depart immediately and notify us of your intentions," one sailor can be heard saying.
Tarriela wrote that the Teresa Magbanua had kept its Chinese counterpart from approaching nearer than 95 nautical miles (110 miles) from the coast of Luzon's Zambales Province.
However, the Philippine vessel withdrew early on Monday for minor repairs, the "Monster" took advantage of the situation and sailed as close as 67 nautical miles (77 miles) off Zambales, a province in the Central Luzon region, the coast guard said.
CGC 5901 riled the Philippines earlier this month when it joined other Chinese maritime forces at Scarborough Shoal, a traditional fishing grounds effectively seized from the Philippines after a 2012 standoff.
What People Are Saying
Guo Jiakun, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said during the ministry's regular press briefing Tuesday: "I would like to reiterate that China's sovereignty and related rights in the South China Sea have been formed over a long period of history, have full historical and legal basis, and are in line with international law and practice.
"We once again urge the Philippines to immediately stop all violations, provocations, and hype, and stop all actions that undermine peace and tranquillity in the South China Sea and complicate the situation."
Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Tuesday: "It is evident that the People's Republic of China believes its current capabilities and status in the international community grant it the authority to bully others, operating under the misconception that it is above the law.
"This bullying behavior is something the world must be prepared for, as the brazen and blatant violations by a powerful nation against established laws are significant contributors to potential escalation and larger conflicts."
Collin Koh, a senior fellow at Singapore's Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, wrote on X Sunday: "Case in point why offshore patrol vessels, not coastal patrol craft, are pivotal in presence ops far out into the EEZ limit.
"[The Philippine coast guard] can certainly accomplish more once five new sister ships of BRP Teresa Magbanua join the fleet in the near future."
What's Next?
It is unlikely that either side will budge on the South China Sea dispute anytime soon.
Chinese military analyst Song Zhongping told state media outlet the Global Times that "provocative actions" by the Philippines have achieved nothing tangible and left it in a weakened economic footing.
Song added that the incoming administration of Donald Trump may reconsider Washington's "strong backing" of its ally, support that the analyst called critical for the Marcos administration's pushback in the South China Sea.
U.S.-Philippines defense ties have increased since Marcos took office in 2022, including expanded U.S. access to joint military bases under the allies' Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
Manila also has its eye on the U.S. Army's Typhoon midrange missile launcher that would put within reach not only the artificial islands China built and militarized in the South China Sea but also much of China's Eastern Seaboard.
The Philippines has since last spring been hosting one Typhon system on Luzon, saying it is for training purposes. China has demanded the platform be withdrawn from the Philippines immediately.
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