Philippines Says Sailor Was Injured in Skirmish With Chinese Coast Guard

Four Filipino navy personnel sustained minor injuries during a confrontation between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea on March 5, 2024. The incident occurred near the Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed area where the Philippines maintains a long-marooned warship, the BRP Sierra Madre, as a territorial outpost.

According to Philippine officials, the clash began when Chinese coast guard and suspected militia ships blocked two Philippine coast guard vessels that were escorting two civilian motorboats. The Philippine vessels were attempting to deliver supplies and personnel to the BRP Sierra Madre, which was deliberately grounded by the Philippine military in the late 1990s.

The Confrontation at Second Thomas Shoal

Philippine navy Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, who was aboard one of the supply boats, witnessed the encounter. He reported that the Chinese coast guard utilized water cannon blasts against the supply boat, which resulted in the vessel’s windshield shattering and caused minor injuries to four navy personnel.

The pressure was really intense, Carlos said, noting that the boat was forced to return to the western Philippine province of Palawan following the damage.

Earlier in the day, a Chinese coast guard vessel sideswiped the BRP Sindangan, a Philippine coast guard ship escorting the supply boats. While the Chinese coast guard alleged in a statement that the BRP Sindangan had rammed its ship, journalists from the Associated Press who were aboard the Philippine vessel witnessed the Chinese ship approach the BRP Sindangan dangerously close before the collision occurred.

Regional Tensions and Strategic “Red Lines”

The Philippines has maintained a strategy of inviting journalists on patrols to document actions in the South China Sea. China has responded by equipping its own coast guard personnel with video cameras to counter Manila’s accounts of these maritime encounters.

Philippine navy Commodore Roy Trinidad stated that the Philippines will not allow China to remove the military outpost at Second Thomas Shoal. He further identified a “red line” regarding Scarborough Shoal, stating that the Philippine armed forces would not permit any new structures to be erected in that area, which has been surrounded by Chinese vessels since 2012. These red lines, according to Trinidad, were established during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

The BRP Sierra Madre remains an actively commissioned navy ship. Consequently, Philippine officials maintain that any attack on the vessel would be considered an act of war. The Chinese government has repeatedly demanded that the Philippines remove the ship from the shoal.

International Implications and Treaty Obligations

Following the hostilities on March 5, the United States issued a warning regarding its obligations under its treaty with the Philippines. The U.S. has committed to defending the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, ships, or aircraft come under armed attack anywhere in the South China Sea.

The current situation is part of a long-standing territorial dispute involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. Tensions have frequently flared, including a previous incident where a Chinese coast guard vessel forcibly seized floating rocket debris from a Philippine naval boat near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island. In that instance, Philippine military officials stated they practiced maximum tolerance to avoid escalation, as the object was not deemed a matter of life or death.

In response to the latest confrontation, Philippine officials summoned a Chinese Embassy diplomat in Manila to convey a strong protest. The Philippine government continues to monitor the situation, as the standoff over the BRP Sierra Madre and the surrounding waters remains a point of intense geopolitical friction.