The Philippine navy inherited the former U.S. tank-landing ship USS Harnett County in 1976, and ran it deliberately aground at Second Thomas Shoal in 1999. The Sierra Madre is now effectively a shipwreck, but the Philippine military has not decommissioned it. This makes the ship an extension of the government and means any attack on the ship is tantamount to an assault against the Philippines. Manila deploys civilian boats with a fresh batch of marines and 10 tons of food for resupply. In a bid to draw global attention to what Philippine officials have called China’s bullying tactics, they have invited more than a dozen journalists, TV cameramen and photographers to come along on the 30-hour-plus journey from the Philippine mainland.
this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2024
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Wait, so they put a boat on a strip of land and now claim it their territory, because the ship is not officially decommissioned, despite being a shipwreck (and thus useless as a boat)? Am I missing something here?
They put a boat on a strip of their land in Philippine waters.
That's not how UNCLOS works.
And how exactly does China's claim work within unclos? The shoal is only 190nm away from the Philippines and should be part of the Philippines exclusive economic zone. If there is any questions of legitimate territorial claim it would be with Vietnam not China.
Also, stopping any navigation within your own exclusive economic zone goes against unclos, let alone stopping navigation of a country in their own exclusive economic zone.
What's your point? The Philippines bases their entire claim on their interpretation of UNCLOS, but flouts it at every opportunity. International law for thee but not for me.
What's your point?
You seemed to be suggesting that what the Philippines is doing is breaking the rules of unclos, but you haven't explained how.
but flouts it at every opportunity. International law for thee but not for me.
How? They are allowed to protect the resources in their exclusive economic zone. China on the other hand is still attempting to enforce a claim that was invalidated by international courts in 2016.
Seems like you might be projecting on the behalf of China.
You're not allowed to set up a territorial military outpost in EEZ lol
In the exclusive economic zone, the coastal State shall have the exclusive right to construct and to authorize and regulate the construction, operation and use of:
(a) artificial islands;
(b) installations and structures for the purposes provided for in article 56 and other economic purposes;
(c) installations and structures which may interfere with the exercise of the rights of the coastal State in the zone.
There no language in the EEZ article that mentions "territorial military outpost".
You can't beach a ship in your own territorial waters and then get upset when China comes to take your stuff and harass you? Do you understand what is even happening in the South China Sea?
Do you think the territorial sea extends 200nm?
I think that's more plausible than China's claim that their exclusive economic zone stretches over a thousand miles off their coast, and supercedes both Vietnams and the Philippines exclusive economic zones.....
Glad that we agree that the South China Sea is entirely vibes-driven and has no foundation in international law.
Nah, there's pretty clear rules. It's just that the main power in the region tends to ignore them when it suits them. Again, how is the Philippine government breaking international law?
IIRC you're not allowed to set up territorial military outposts in EEZ, so OP is correct that the Philippines government is violating international law.
According to who?
In the exclusive economic zone, the coastal State shall have the exclusive right to construct and to authorize and regulate the construction, operation and use of:
(a) artificial islands;
(b) installations and structures for the purposes provided for in article 56 and other economic purposes;
(c) installations and structures which may interfere with the exercise of the rights of the coastal State in the zone.
Can you link what article that falls under?
So basically deliberate provocation.
The current Marcos government is a shift towards the United States and is gladly offering up The Philippines, a neocolony of the United States, as a forward base for the "containment" of China. This includes a reversal in both policy and propaganda when it comes to the South China Sea.
Gee, I wonder why? Why would they be afraid of a country preparing to conquer new teritory by force?
You think the Marcos government returned from partial alignment to the full alignment with the previous neocolonial regime under the thumb of the primary global superpower that already occupies their country and has done so for over 100 years because "China scary"?
lmao
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The United States renewed a warning Tuesday that it is obligated to defend the Philippines, a treaty ally, a day after the hourslong hostilities in Second Thomas Shoal.
Five of the injured sailors were rescued by one of two Philippine coast guard patrol ships that were waiting at a distance to back up the navy’s supply mission at the shoal.
The two rubber supply boats were towed away by Chinese coast guard personnel and then abandoned after being damaged and emptied of their contents, including an unspecified number of rifles, the two officials said.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell discussed China’s actions with his Philippine counterpart, Maria Theresa Lazaro, in a telephone call.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Monday night that his country’s armed forces would resist “China’s dangerous and reckless behavior” which “contravenes their statements of good faith and decency.”
Several other incidents have occurred in recent months near Second Thomas Shoal, which is less than 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from the nearest Philippine coast and is where the BRP Sierra Madre, now encrusted with rust, was deliberately grounded in 1999 to create a territorial outpost.
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Wtf even is that boat... look at it... it's like someone in post-apocalyptia managed to get an abandoned ship up and running.
The article says "Chinese forces seized two Philippine rubber boats that were delivering food and other supplies to a military outpost". Maybe the pictured boat is the "military outpost", but nobody who sees it wants to board it.