US Criticizes China's Aggressive Moves as South China Sea Tensions Rise with Manila

September 3:
Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the United States Department of State, denounced China's aggressive behavior as tensions between the two countries in the South China Sea rose. Miller wrote in a post on X, "The United States stands with our Philippine allies and condemns the dangerous and escalatory actions by the PRC against lawful Philippine maritime operations near Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea."

The United States reacted after the Philippines and China both claimed that their ships had rammed each other. The incident occurred in Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands on August 29, 2024, when the Philippine Coast Guard stated that a Chinese ship had "deliberately rammed" one of their vessels three times.

China and the Philippines have been at odds over the South China Sea for some time, and the accusations of provocative behavior from both countries have only made things worse. China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei are among the countries that have staked claims to portions or the entirety of the strategically important and resource-rich waterways in the South China Sea.

China and the Philippines have recently experienced a dramatic increase in hostilities, mostly as a result of continuing disputes in the South China Sea. At the heart of the dispute are competing territorial claims; China claims sovereignty over nearly the whole ocean along its "nine-dash line," and the Philippines claims its EEZ as a result of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

China continued its activities in the disputed waters despite a July 2016 ruling by an international tribunal in The Hague that favored the Philippines and invalidated China's broad claims. The harassment of Philippine fishing boats and military ships by Chinese vessels escalated by April 2020, according to reports. International concern over China's aggressive maritime tactics was heightened in March 2021 when the Philippines denounced the presence of multiple Chinese fishing vessels in the Whitsun Reef.

An violent diplomatic dispute ensued in April 2022 after a Philippine resupply mission near Ayungin Shoal was allegedly attacked with water cannons by a Chinese coast guard ship, adding fuel to the fire of ongoing tensions.