Chinese and Philippine politicians meet for talks on South China Sea after series of clashes

There have been a number of clashes between the two sides in the disputed waters this year.

These include an incident in which the Chinese coast guard intercepted a Philippine naval mission carrying supplies to troops stationed at Second Thomas Reef on June 17. Clashes ensued, resulting in a Filipino sailor losing a thumb.

The Chinese intervention was the first since new regulations came into force allowing the Chinese to conduct “boarding inspections” in waters that China claims as its own.

Manila said the Chinese coast guard was armed with machetes and knives, and Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said their actions were “deliberate, planned and escalatory” and the “most aggressive” in recent years.

Since then, both sides have continued to exchange accusations. Most recently, Beijing accused the Philippines of “undermining peace and stability” for delivering supplies to a coast guard ship stranded in the Sabina Reef of the Spratly Islands on Monday.

02:34

First incident between Chinese and Filipino ships under Beijing’s new coast guard law

First incident between Chinese and Filipino ships under Beijing’s new coast guard law

China said it was “following and monitoring the entire operation” while three Philippine Coast Guard vessels transferred “personnel and materials” to the “illegally stranded” vessel.

The coast guard statement, released Tuesday afternoon, reaffirmed Beijing’s “indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and adjacent waters, including the Xianbin Reef” – the Chinese names for the Spratly Islands and the reef.

The stranded Philippine ship was also accused of “violating China’s territorial sovereignty and its maritime rights and interests.”

It added that the Chinese coast guard will “protect the rights and enforce the law in the waters under its jurisdiction and resolutely defend China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”

The Sabina Reef, disputed between both sides and Vietnam, also serves as a rendezvous point for Philippine ships on supply missions for troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II ship that was deliberately run aground on the Second Thomas Reef to assert Manila’s territorial claims.

The Second Thomas Reef has been the scene of clashes between the two sides in recent years, with the Chinese coast guard regularly blocking resupply missions to the reef. Beijing fears that these missions could be used to transport construction materials to fortify the aging vessel and bolster the Philippine presence there.

Meanwhile, Manila has accused Beijing of trying to build an “artificial island” in the Sabina Reef, 75 nautical miles (140 kilometers) from the Philippine island of Palawan.

China denies the claims and is concerned that the other side is trying to establish an outpost on the reef.

01:55

Beijing denies Manila’s claim that Chinese ships are building an “artificial island” in the South China Sea

Beijing denies Manila’s claim that Chinese ships are building an “artificial island” in the South China Sea

Meanwhile, Beijing has expanded its presence in the South China Sea in recent weeks.

The 12,000-ton ship 5901 – believed to be the largest coast guard vessel in the world – was spotted near Second Thomas Reef and the Philippine island of Thitu, while the aircraft carrier Shandong was spotted around 200 nautical miles off Luzon, the country’s largest island.

On Tuesday, the Philippine Navy said it was “aware” of the two ships.