Six people with knowledge of the operation claim that the Philippines secretly strengthened a dilapidated ship marooned in a South China Sea coral reef at the center of a dangerous dispute between Beijing and Manila.
People said that in recent months the Philippine military conducted missions to strengthen the Sierra Madre which is located on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal of the Spratly Islands. The people said that it was due to the growing concern about the ship’s deterioration.
Philippines ran aground the Sierra Madre in 1999, to reinforce its claim on the reef. China asserted sovereignty over the reef as part of a claim that was opposed by neighbours.
In 2016, an international tribunal rejected Beijing’s claims over the Second Thomas Shoal and said that it did not have legal rights over the Second Thomas Shoal which is located within the Philippine exclusive Economic Zone.
The Sierra Madre is the most dangerous flashpoint of the Indo-Pacific. China’s coastguard has been using increasingly aggressive tactics in recent months to prevent Manila from resupplying the Marines stationed aboard the ship.
Manila has accused Beijing of a “brutal attack” at Second Thomas Shoal on Monday, which it said was the most aggressive act since China began interrupting supply missions one year ago. Washington warned Beijing that the US and Philippines mutual defence treaty covered the Sierra Madre.
The Philippines insists that its missions sent humanitarian supplies to the area. China, however, accuses Manila that it brought construction materials in order to reinforce the ship so as to prevent it from breaking up and falling off the reef. Manila denies this.
Jose Manuel Romualdez said in an interview that Manila is not “strengthening the ship”. This is a wreck, an old ship from World War II that has been lying there since the 1990s. It needs to be repaired. We are just doing this as a humanitarian gesture to give these people a decent home because they’re there.
Those familiar with the situation claim that Manila has secretly strengthened the ship to extend its lifespan.
Beijing is likely to be aware and angry that the Philippines have successfully delivered construction material. . . China has been waiting for 25 years to see the ship disintegrate and slide of the reef. The continued escalation towards the Philippines indicates that they are not going to back down or admit defeat. Bonnie Glaser is a China specialist at the German Marshall Fund.
The potential for a conflict over this small, submerged feature is growing.
Last month, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned that any Chinese action which killed a Filipino would be considered “very close” to genocide. . . An act of War”.
Zack Cooper of the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank that specializes in Asia security, stated the US and Philippines are “inching closer” to triggering Article V of the mutual defence treaty which would require both countries to “meet a common threat”.
This is not a small matter. Cooper said that Article V of the Nato Treaty has been used only once in response to September 11 2001 terrorist attacks.
I suspect that in order to prevent these dangerous acts from occurring again, a greater level of direct involvement will be required. It could be as simple as US assets being nearby when Philippine resupply missions are underway, or, if China is still reckless, US forces can directly assist in resupply missions.
The US military already has some options. According to multiple sources, the US Indo-Pacific Command proposed last year to send army engineers to strengthen the ship.
The proposal was rebuffed because it was deemed too risky by some officials and Manila wanted to take care of the situation. The White House and Indo-Pacific Command did not make any comments.
“If the Philippines made an effort to secure the Sierra Madre, and ensure that it could not easily be removed from the reef, this would be a bold step to protect Filipino sovereignty, and one that Washington likely was aware of, but also supported,” said Eric Sayers. He was a former advisor to the Indo-Pacific Commander.
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