Another maritime incident between China and the Philippines in the South
China Sea has tested the region's tenuous calm. On the evening of July 11,
China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) missile frigate Dongguan ran
aground on Half Moon Shoal, a contested maritime territory a mere 60 nautical
miles from the Philippine island of Palawan.
The incident was not initially
publicized by either side but its later disclosure has raised new questions
about China's naval intentions and capabilities in the area less - than a month
after both sides backed away from a two-month stand-off over another contested
shoal in the same island chain.
Philippine Navy officials later
said two of their patrol vessels and a reconnaissance aircraft confirmed the
presence of the Chinese naval ship on the contested shoal. Beijing acknowledged
that salvage operations were underway to dislodge the warship, which was
eventually sprung free on July 16 with minor damage to its stern.
Half Moon Shoal is part of the
Spratly Islands, which with the rest of the South China Sea are claimed by
Beijing as part of its sovereign territory. The Philippines also claims the
Half Moon Shoal, which it refers to as Hasa-Hasa, along with several other
islets, reefs and other shoals in the island chain as part of its internationally
defined exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Chinese boats, often escorted by
paramilitary vessels or naval warships, have long fished the waters included in
the Philippines' EEZ. Though there have been previous incidents in the area
involving Philippine fishing boats and Chinese warships, this is the first time
that a Chinese naval vessel, ostensibly on a patrol, has been stranded so close
to Philippine territorial waters.
The incident caused a new stir
among many nationalistic Philippine observers, including those galvanized by
the sense Beijing is bullying its smaller neighbors in the wake of the recent
stand-off over the contested Scarborough Shoal. Harry Roque, director of the
University of the Philippines' Institute of International Legal Studies, said
in a statement that "foreign naval vessels, particularly in disputed
territory, have no business patrolling" in another country's EEZ.
The Dongguan, a Jianghu-V class
missile frigate, was armed with twin 100mm main gun turrets, 37mm Close-in
Weapons Systems (CIWS) mounts, and YJ-83 Eagle Strike missiles that are China's
counterpart to the American Harpoon and French Exocet anti-ship missiles. These
new missiles, which have replaced China's previous Silkworms, have a range of
255 kilometers, putting major Philippine cities in their range. The grounded
ship is also equipped with air/surface search and fire control radars.
Philippine Navy officials
identified it as the same ship that last year harassed several Philippine
fishing boats in the area. The Dongguan confronted three Philippine fishing
vessels in Jackson Atoll (known by Manila as Quirino Atoll) on February 25,
2011. After issuing a warning over a marine band radio, two of the fishing
boats left the area but one had trouble raising its anchor and asked the
Chinese frigate for more time. In response, the Dongguan fired three times,
landing shells less than a nautical mile from the unarmed fishing boat.
Philippine social media were
abuzz about the warship's presence so close to Philippine territory, with some
suggesting a conspiracy to leave the beached frigate in place to create an
outpost. President Benigno Aquino was urged to confront China. Cooler heads
prevailed, however, as Philippine vessels stood watch while Chinese ships
worked to extricate their sister ship from the shoal.
The Philippines had earlier
extended traditional maritime courtesy by offering assistance in the rescue
operation but apparently was rebuffed. In the aftermath, Manila said it will
not lodge a diplomatic protest with Beijing over the incident but instead would
ask Beijing for an explanation of the ship's presence.
The incident coincided with the
Philippines' inability to convince Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) members to mention the Scarborough stand-off in a joint communique at
last week's ministerial meeting. Cambodia, a close China ally, was said to have
blocked any mention of the incident in 18 different proposed drafts of the
communique. For the first time in the grouping's 45-year history, no joint
statement was issued after the meeting.
Room for error
Manila cannot afford to challenge
China's superior naval firepower alone, even though President Aquino's
administration is upgrading the armed forces' territorial defense capabilities.
The Navy's World War II-era flagship was replaced only last year by a
40-year-old refurbished US Coast Guard cutter, with a sister ship on the way.
The government is also reportedly looking at used naval vessels now on sale in
Italy.
On the diplomatic front, Manila
has yet to receive a solid United States commitment to supports its South China
Sea claims under their 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which binds each party to
defend the other in case of an attack by a third party. Despite a recent Aquino
visit to Washington, the US has sidestepped the issue of announcing its full
military support for the Philippines' claims to the potentially oil and gas
rich area.
At the height of the recent
standoff over Scarborough Shoal, the US repeatedly stated the importance of the
South China Sea as a vital international sealane and its belief that peaceful
efforts should be made to resolve the competing maritime claims. Brunei,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have competing claims to the
Spratly Islands.
The US has, however, offered
support to the Philippines in the area of maritime surveillance, recently
pledging to help enhance Manila's Coast Watch Center by upgrading its radar
facilities. Aquino has also requested the US to provide maritime intelligence in
the Spartlys through the US Navy's P3-C Orion surveillance planes.
The Commander-in-Chief of the US
Navy's Pacific Command, Adm Samuel Locklear III, arrived in Manila on July 16
and met Aquino and senior defense and foreign affairs officials to discuss the
situation in the Spratlys and US assistance to help Manila establish a
"minimum credible defense posture".
At the same time, the Half Moon
Shoal incident suggests that China's improving navy is perhaps not as mighty or
well-managed as touted. A retired Philippine Navy admiral interviewed by
journalist and blogger Raissa Robles said, the Dongguan's captain "was
negligent of his duties ... These ships now have depth perception. [They] use
satellites. They should be able to determine through the satellite where the
reefs are."
The Dongguan belongs to a class
of ships designed to navigate the South China Sea's myriad tight clusters of
reefs, atolls and islets. Though the Dongguan had recently undergone
refurbishment, it is notable that sister ships in its class, including export
versions sold to Bangladesh, Egypt, Myanmar and Thailand, have historically
received negative feedback from buyers.
"Apparently, these frigates
proved less than impressive to the Thai Navy. The quality of workmanship of the
frigate was said to be inferior, and considerable rework was needed to bring
the vessels up to acceptable standards," Globalsecurity.org, an
independent news website, reported.
"The ability of the ships to
resist battle damage was extremely limited, and damage control facilities were
virtually non-existent. Fire-suppression systems were rudimentary, and it
appeared that were the hull breached, rapid flooding would quickly lead to the
loss of the ship," the report said.
According to Kuala Lumpur-based
defense analyst Dzirhan Mahadzir, "Running aground and collisions are the
most serious offense next to losing a ship, in most navies. However, the degree
of punishment or culpability of the captain varies between navies."
Another strategic analyst noted
that such an incident is typically "a career breaker, if not sufficient
grounds for court martial".
Shanghai-based military analyst
Ni Lexiong was quoted in a South China Morning Post report saying, "It
affects people's confidence in the capability of the navy. The accident
indicates that the technology of Chinese navy vessels and the ocean combat
capability of the navy may not be sophisticated enough."
If so, China's rising deployment
of heavily armed naval ships and harassment of other claimants' civilian vessels
in the area risks future miscalculations, human and technical errors that carry
the perilous potential to trigger armed conflict and destabilize further a
region already on edge.
George Amurao
Asia Times
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