China says the South China Sea puts relations with the Philippines at a crossroads

News Mania Desk/ Piyal Chatterjee/ 9th September 2024

Amid tensions in the South China Sea, China urged the Philippines to “seriously consider the future” of a relationship “at a crossroads” in a column published in the People’s Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper, on Monday.
In recent months, there have been claims between the Philippines and China of purposefully colliding coast guard vessels in the disputed strait. In one particularly violent altercation in June, a Filipino sailor lost a finger.
The occurrences have overshadowed both countries’ attempts to mend fences and handle conflicts more skillfully, including the establishment of new channels of communication to facilitate the resolution of maritime issues.

“China-Philippines relations stand at a crossroads, facing a choice of which way to go,” the commentary said. “Dialogue and consultation is the right path, as there is no way out of the conflict through confrontation.”

The commentary was released under the pen name “Zhong Sheng,” which translates to “Voice of China” and is frequently used to express the opinions of the publication on matters of foreign policy.
Nearly the whole South China Sea is under Beijing’s jurisdiction, with the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam all having partial claims. A portion of the river, through which $3 trillion worth of commerce travels yearly, is thought to have huge reserves of fish and natural gas in addition to oil.
Beijing disagrees with the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s 2016 finding that China’s broad accusations lacked legal support.
Following Manila’s accusation that China was taking “deliberate action” to obstruct the resupply of Philippine troops stationed at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, the United States reiterated its commitment to the security of the Philippines in June.
China criticized the Philippines in Monday’s comments for “the so-called ‘humanitarian’ problem” of Filipino sailors not being able to obtain supplies on what it regards as “an illegally stranded ship” near Sabina Shoal. It further stated that “the people aboard are absolutely allowed to leave.”