The Philippines and China have repeatedly experienced intense clashes over the Ren'ai Reef and Xianbin Reef in the South China Sea in recent years, with some frictions also occurring in the airspace over Huangyan Island. The conflict between the two countries in the South China Sea has escalated. Moreover, the possible involvement of external powers makes the situation even more sensitive and complicated.
The islands and reefs such as Huangyan Island, Ren'ai Reef and Xianbin Reef, over which the Philippines has challenged China's sovereignty, are currently under the jurisdiction of Sansha City in China's Hainan Province. According to historical documents from various countries, China is the first to discover, name, develop and utilize the South China Sea islands and the adjacent waters. China is also the first to exercise continuous, peaceful, effective sovereignty and jurisdiction over these islands and adjacent waters.
Since the 20th century, China's jurisdiction and sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands have become more evident. In January 1935, China officially announced the names of 132 islands, reefs and shoals there. After the end of World War II, the Chinese government took control of and administered the South China Sea Islands in accordance with the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation. In 1948, the Chinese government officially published the national administrative map, including the Map of the Location of the South China Sea Islands.
Maps in books published by Germany, Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union in the 20th century also acknowledged China's sovereignty over Huangyan Island and other areas of the South China Sea. In May 1999, Ms. Fu Ying, then Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, bought a local map on a street in Manila, which clearly showed that, up until that time, the Philippine government had not considered Huangyan Island as part of its national territory.
After gaining independence in 1946, the Philippines began to assert sovereignty over certain islands and reefs in the South China Sea and occupied several of them in the 1970s. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), adopted in 1982, allows a country to claim a 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Philippines has based its claims to sovereignty on the argument that these islands and reefs are within its EEZ. However, international law stipulates that "land dominates the sea," meaning a country can claim maritime rights only based on land sovereignty, not vice versa. A nation cannot claim land sovereignty based solely on maritime rights.
On April 30, 1997, the Philippine Navy landed on Huangyan Island, blew up the sovereignty marker set up by China in 1990 and raised the Philippine flag. After that, the Philippines took further actions in the area, including detaining Chinese fishermen, conducting joint military exercises with the U.S., and intercepting Chinese vessels. These actions directly led to heightened tensions between the Philippines and China.
On Nov. 3, 1999, the Philippine Navy sent an old warship to run aground on Huangyan Island on the pretext of flooding in the engine room, claiming that the warship was broken and could not leave. Under Chinese protest, the warship was removed by the end of that month. Earlier in May of the same year, the Philippine military intentionally grounded an old World War II landing ship, the Sierra Madre, on Ren'ai Reef and stationed marines on board. Ren'ai Reef remains a focal point of ongoing disputes between China and the Philippines.
After Benigno Aquino III became president in 2010, the Philippines stepped up its challenges to China. The Philippines not only renamed the internationally recognized South China Sea as the "West Philippine Sea" but also planned to build military outposts on some islands and reefs while increasing the detention of Chinese fishermen. After the Philippines once again detained and abused Chinese fishermen in the waters of Huangyan Island on April 10, 2012, China could no longer tolerate it and eventually came into a standoff with the Philippines there.
In addition to forcibly creating facts on the ground, the Philippines also sought to gain sovereignty over certain islands and reefs in the South China Sea through international courts. Under the impetus of the Philippines and certain international forces, on July 12, 2016, a special arbitral tribunal, with the secretarial services of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Hague, issued a ruling in favor of the Philippines regarding the so-called "South China Sea Arbitration." China firmly rejected the ruling. The U.N. and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) soon publicly stated that they had no connection to the PCA and had not participated in the South China Sea arbitration case.
After Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. was elected president of the Philippines in 2022, his administration adopted a pro-U.S. foreign policy and gradually took a more hardline stance on South China Sea issues, resulting in constant conflicts between the Philippines and China. For example, in April 2024, the Teresa Magbanua patrol ship of the Philippine Coast Guard docked at Xianbin Reef to assert sovereignty, which led to a fierce ship collision between the two countries in August. For the Sierra Madre, which has been grounded at Ren'ai Reef since 1999, the Philippines not only aimed to provide water and food to the vessel but also attempted to transport construction materials to reinforce the dilapidated ship, which directly led to fierce confrontations between the two countries in June and August 2024. Since 2023, the Philippines has also repeatedly challenged China over Huangyan Island.
The series of intense clashes between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea affects not only bilateral relations but also broader geopolitical dynamics. According to the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the U.S. and the Republic of the Philippines, signed in 1951, the U.S. is committed to assisting the Philippines in its defense against any armed attack on its forces, vessels, or aircraft. This treaty has obviously given the current Philippine government, which is implementing pro-American diplomacy, the courage to challenge China. Moreover, containing China has been a key strategy for Washington. As Sino-U.S. relations deteriorate, Washington's attempt to contain China in the South China Sea will not stop, and the Philippines is one of the pawns.
The Philippines' challenge to China in the South China Sea is driven by both internal political factors and external pressures. Proactively provoking a powerful neighbor without the backing of international law is not a wise choice for the Philippines. Furthermore, It is very dangerous to rely on the protection that other countries may provide for your own safety. Being a pawn in the competition among world powers is equally dangerous. The Philippines should indeed reconsider its South China Sea policy.
