24 May 2025, NIICE Commentary 11039
Anoushka Kashyap
The South China Sea Dispute is a brawl about claiming sovereign authority over the entire Sea, including the islands named ‘The Spratly and Paracels’. The Sea is rich in oil reserves and fish, and its trade route makes it an important Sea Route. Due to its richness, many countries, like the Philippines and China, for example, have fought over it, creating a ruckus and a conflict zone. The prominent dispute between China and the Philippines is at ‘The Second Thomas Shoal of Spratly Islands’. This island lies within the Philippines' EEZ of 200 miles. To gain support, the Philippines looked West and joined hands with Indo-Pacific nations like USA who signed a Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951 with Philippines that was upgraded with new guidelines on May 4, 2023 and in 2024 General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) made sure both nations vessels, forces and aircrafts were deployed at Sea.
The Sino-Philippine Relations: Tensions at Sea
The Philippines and China have remained turbulent over the past years about the sovereignty of islands and reefs at Sea. According to UNCLOS Article 123, all nations surrounding the South China Sea have an equal sovereign right over it. But, China claims the entire Sea as a part of China’s land due to the Nine-Dash Line. For China and the Philippines, the year 1995 was considered a turning point as individuals on board the ‘Philippine Fishing Vessel’ reported being detained by the Chinese at ‘Mischief Reef’, which further led to escalated tensions and aggression in the minds of the Filipinos against the Chinese. The ‘Chinese Coast Guards’ have been bullying and harassing Filipino fishermen by flashing ‘high laser beams’ in their eyes and making them ‘temporarily blind’. The Philippines has concerns over the intrusion of China into the Filipino' waters. An Arbitration was filed against China (January 22, 2013) under the ‘United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea’ (UNCLOS), in which the Philippines along with other affected countries had participated, claiming that they had experienced ‘bullying’ by the Chinese in their ‘Exclusive Economic Zone’ (EEZ). Despite ASEAN’s efforts to build a cordial relationship in the Sea, China continues to be an ‘aggressor’. ‘The Association of South East Asian Nations’ has failed in bringing peace to the South China Sea.
Steps taken towards peace and continuity at Sea
Several initiatives have been taken to reduce the tensions at Sea. For instance, President Rodrigo Duterte was in office in the ‘Permanent Court of Arbitration’. He was keen on the ‘Aquino Administration’ step towards China in the South China Sea. Therefore, he initiated efforts to resolve the relationship with China. On January 18, 2024, China and the Philippines established an agreement wherein they decided to make an open communication among their respective foreign ministers about the Sea Dispute, which will lead to the management of the Sea. Under the ‘2016 Arbitral Ruling’, a statement was made mentioning that China’s claims at the South China Sea have been recognized as invalid. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Xi Jinping issued a joint statement in 2023, under which both leaders had decided to respect each other’s maritime sovereignty in the South China Sea.
The Philippines agreed with China to discuss certain issues regarding the oil and gas explorations in the sea while discussing cooperation on solar, wind, and nuclear power. Hence, both countries agreed on cooperation at sea. The Hague Tribunal laid out in 2016 that China’s claims to the entire Sea on the basis of the Nine-Dash Line have no lawful meaning. China continues to harass and interfere in the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles EEZ, wherein it does illegal fishing. It also sends its coast guards and ships to take rounds at the Sea and enter other Southeast Asian nations' EEZ, as well as the coral reefs and islands are rich in fish and minerals. Both nations have seen rifts at Sea due to China’s aggressive behaviour. China lays out new rules and regulations on various themes, like the South China Sea, wherein on June 15, 2024, it laid out a rule stating that any foreign interference and trespassing in the Sea will lead to detentions. This has, in turn, made this sea a flashpoint along with the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait, involving intrusions of other countries like the USA.
The big aggressor flashed laser beams at the fishermen of the Philippines, making them temporarily blinding them as a sign of warning that they are entering Chinese waters. The USA supports the Philippines at Sea as it is a big trade route that even the US uses, and due to its rivalry with China in the Indo-Pacific, it has said that it will give the Philippines an upgraded military base. Naval Detachment Oyster Bay (Philippines) is going to receive $1-$5 million in funds in the coming months. This is the reason why the Philippines exited the Belt and Road Initiative started by China in 2013, because it felt under a ‘debt trap’ by the aggressor and was angered by the continuous disruptions at Sea. During the first week of May this year, China claimed of stopped an intruder from entering its waters, which was a Philippine Navy ship near Scarborough Shoal.
Measures taken by the Philippines to protect its EEZ in the South China Sea
In response to the rising aggressiveness at Sea, the Philippines has decided to increase its alliances and has joint partnerships with Germany by signing a defense agreement on May 15, 2025, that will focus on cybersecurity, military, and defense. The Philippines wants to retain its claims over its EEZ in the South China Sea in the long run. Similarly, in the month of April, the Philippines signed deals with New Zealand focusing on military cooperation. It is indicated that the nation will soon sign a deal on defense with Canada as well. The current Filipino President, Marcos Jr., has taken a firm initiative towards China after constant attacks by China. In 2024, the Philippines and China made a provisional agreement when the Chinese attacks at Sea were worse that year.
To conclude, it can be seen that under the present leadership of President Marcos Jr, the initiatives to stop China and retain its sovereign claims at Sea in the long run as well has seen firm policies and decisions so far, and have been seen as pro-USA as well by some. Some regard this decision by the current President as more justifiable than the previous leader, Rodrigo Duterte. Though the Philippines is gaining support from nations like the USA and expanding its alliances by joining hands with New Zealand, the future of the South China Sea remains uncertain.
Anoushka Kashyap is a Research Intern at NIICE. She has completed her Master’s degree in International Affairs from OP. Jindal Global University with interests in regions of Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Indo-Pacific.
