필리핀의 공수보급 물자를 탈취하려 한 중국 해경, 레드라인을 설정한 필리핀

[위종민]

지난 5월 19일 제2토마스 환초의 LST BRP 시에라마드레에 주둔한 필리핀 해병대에 대한 공수보급물자를 중국 해경국의 RHIB보트가 탈취하려고 시도했네요. 필리핀 해병대는 무기를 불출했다고 합니다. 

해상보급이 저지되자 공수보급을 시도했고 이에 대해 중국이 저지를 시도했나보네요. 여기도 사태가 자꾸 에스컬레이션되네요. 

또한 필리핀의 마르코스 대통령은 샹그릴라 국방 정상회의에서의 연설 중 중국의 침략으로 필리핀 시민이 사망한다면 "이는 우리가 전쟁행위로 정의하는 것과 매우, 매우 가까운 것"이라고 말했다고 합니다. 

https://news.usni.org/2024/06/04/philippine-marines-drew-firearms-as-china-seized-second-thomas-shoal-airdrop-says-philippine-military-chief

Philippine Marines Drew Firearms as China Seized Second Thomas Shoal Airdrop, Says Philippine Military Chief

AARON-MATTHEW LARIOSA

JUNE 4, 2024 6:04 PM

Chinese and Philippine Armed Forces boats rigid hull inflatable boats clash near Second Thomas Shoal. AFP Image

The contingent of Philippine Marines onboard BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) at Second Thomas Shoal reportedly drew their weapons as China Coast Guard boats moved in to take packages from a resupply airdrop.

Philippine military officials said this week that Chinese rigid hull inflatable boats intercepted an aerial resupply drop destined for Marines aboard BRP Sierra Madre at Second Thomas Shoal in an incident last month on May 19. This incident saw the vessels come as close as five meters to the grounded Second World War-era landing ship tank, which Manila grounded at the disputed shoal in 1999.

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner said that the Marines deployed their weapons as a “precautionary measure” in self-defense.

“It’s part of the rules of engagement. That whenever you see imminent threats coming your way, you best be prepared,” said Brawner about the incident.

WATCH: Video released by the AFP shows two China Coast Guard rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) rushing to pick up airdropped food supplies meant for Filipino soldiers stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

(📹 AFP) @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/5cNNk40G6U

— Bianca Dava 🐱 (@biancadava) June 4, 2024

Chinese state media claimed that the Philippine Marines were pointing guns at China Coast Guard officers and released a video of the incident from the Chinese perspective that depicts two Philippine personnel onboard Sierra Madre wielding firearms. These claims were denied in a statement by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, citing the need for “heightened vigilance and alertness” because of the “CCG’s provocative presence near BRP Sierra Madre.”

According to the Philippine military, the China Coast Guard reportedly tore open the packages and threw their contents of foodstuffs into the water. Brawner said that may have been searching for construction materials, which Beijing has constantly cited as a reason for their interceptions of Philippine resupply missions to Sierra Madre. While most of the supplies sank, some were recovered by Philippine personnel. However, officials cited the overall resupply operation as a success as the majority of the other airdropped packages were recovered.

Two separate incidents also occurred last month around the disputed South China Sea feature. According to the Inquirer newspaper, the China Coast Guard obstructed a medical evacuation mission from Sierra Madre on May 19. The third incident occurred on May 24, which reportedly involved the use of water cannons by Chinese forces to force away a Philippine civilian fishing vessel from the proximity of the shoal.

This series of incidents are the first to be reported by Manila since March when Chinese water cannons injured Philippine personnel and damaged a vessel during a resupply mission to Sierra Madre.

Related

https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2024/05/31/marcos-sets-red-line-with-beijing-over-south-china-sea-harassment/

Marcos sets ‘red line’ with Beijing over South China Sea harassment

Marcos sets ‘red line’ with Beijing over South China Sea harassment

By Noah Robertson

 Saturday, Jun 1, 2024

A Chinese Coast Guard ship fires a water cannon at the Philippine vessel Unaizah near the Second Thomas Shoal in March 2024. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

SINGAPORE — While addressing the Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit in Southeast Asia, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. set near black-and-white criteria on what would count as an act of war by China.

The comment came in reference to a question about Second Thomas Shoal, a reef in the South China Sea where the Philippines have an outpost. Despite a 2016 UN ruling to the contrary, Beijing claims ownership over the territory and has harassed Filipino vessels resupplying the base each month. That harassment has included the firing of water cannons and ramming of a Filipino vessel.

But were that aggression to result in the death of a Filipino citizen, Marcos said, it would be “very, very close to what we define as an act of war.”

RELATEDHow to build an effective information network in the Indo-Pacifi

That’s more than semantics.

The Philippines and America have a mutual defense treaty, dating back to the 1950s. Partly for that reason, China’s behavior around the reef has been in the “gray zone,” or activity that falls short of full conflict. Beijing uses its Coast Guard rather than its Navy to intercept Filipino vessels. And while those forces have injured Filipinos, they haven’t killed anyone.

The question then is what Manila defines as an act of war instead of harassment — and hence what could spark a war between the U.S. and China.

“Almost certainly, it’s going to be a red line,” Marcos said of a situation in which Chinese forces kill a Filipino citizen.

Asked after his speech later in the weekend whether the U.S. would also consider that an act of war, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he wouldn’t speculate on hypothetical situations.

“I will continue to emphasize that our commitment to the mutual defense treaty is ironclad,” Austin said.

The keynote address was a high platform for Marcos, and the Philippines more broadly. Manila is playing a larger role in the region’s security as it deepens its security ties with Washington and other like-minded countries, such as Japan and Australia.

There’s no more unifying issue for that coalition than the South China Sea, said Greg Poling, an expert on Southeast Asia at the Center for International and Strategic Studies.

“The South China Sea, in one way or another, resonates with pretty much all U.S. allies and partners — even those outside the region — because it’s a question overall law,” Poling said. “Everyone agrees that China’s in the wrong.”

This story has been updated with comments from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

About Noah Robertson

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공수 보급물자를 도둑질하려고 하다니...

[위종민]

필리핀의 공수보급 시도를 중국에서 어떻게 알고 스틸 시도를 했는지도 중요한 문제일 것 같네요. 레이더로 수송기나 헬기 뜬 걸 보고 가까이 있는 전진기지에서 출동했을 수도 있겠습니다만.