(Bloomberg) — The Philippines has made significant reinforcements to a stranded World War II ship in the disputed South China Sea, helping to ensure the outpost at the center of tensions with Beijing can hold out for at least another decade, four people familiar with the matter said.
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Chairman Ferdinand Marcos The Jr. government has stepped up efforts to hold on to the military outpost on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands after taking power in 2022, two of the people said. The BRP Sierra Madre was first deployed on the reef in 1999 in an effort to push back on Beijing’s sprawling claims in the region.
In 2021, the rusty, dilapidated Sierra Madre was thought to have only three to five years of life left, one of the people said. Although efforts had been made to reinforce the ship before, the Marcos government has accelerated that work, two of the people said.
According to three sources, improvements to the outpost, where the country in Southeast Asia has stationed a handful of troops that it must regularly resupply with fresh food, water and basic supplies, have been sufficient for years to strengthen the outpost.
All four people who spoke to Bloomberg declined to be named, saying they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive matter publicly.
The supply missions have been a constant source of tension with China, which has deployed its coast guard and a fleet of fishing vessels known as its maritime militia to blockade and intimidate Philippine ships. In one incident this year, Chinese sailors threatened Filipino sailors with axes, causing one to lose his thumb when his small craft was rammed by a Chinese boat. China has said its actions were lawful.
China’s Foreign Ministry responded to a request for comment by reiterating that Beijing opposes any attempt by the Philippines to provide building materials, repair or reinforce the warship.
Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, a spokeswoman for the Philippine military, said the military is “committed to ensuring decent living conditions for our Marines and sailors stationed at BRP Sierra Madre.” Those efforts include “maintaining our presence in the West Philippine Sea, where the Philippines exercises sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction,” she added.
Unlike its predecessor, President Rodrigo DuterteMarcos has been more assertive in his opposition to Beijing’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea, a region crucial to global trade. China has maintained its claims even after a UN-backed arbitration panel ruled in Manila’s favor.
Beijing maintains 27 outposts in the disputed sea, while Manila occupies nine territories, including Second Thomas Shoal, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. Other countries with competing claims in the region include Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
In addition to strengthening the ship, Marcos’ administration has repeatedly invited journalists to cover missions to Second Thomas Shoal and film the Chinese coast guard trying to disrupt those efforts. And he has warned that the death of a Philippine serviceman by “an attack by a foreign power” would prompt him to invoke a mutual defense treaty with the United States.
Hotline Agreement
China has long opposed the delivery of construction materials to the Sierra Madre and has repeatedly called on the Philippines to tow the ship away.
After several high-profile confrontations over the past year, the two countries agreed last month to ease tensions, reaching a confidential “provisional arrangement” on Manila’s missions to Second Thomas Shoal and opening a hotline attended by representatives of Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In a sign that de-escalation may be working, the Philippines reported that its latest mission to Second Thomas Shoal over the weekend – the first since the Manila-Beijing deal – went off without incident.
–With assistance from Lucille Liu.
(Updated with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ response in the seventh paragraph.)
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