Philippine troops stationed at a South China Sea military outpost followed the rules of engagement and acted with “remarkable restraint” in displaying, but not firing, their weapons during a confrontation with Chinese forces, military officials and experts say.
Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., the Philippine Armed Forces chief, dismissed Chinese claims that the troops aboard the BRP Sierra Madre pointed weapons at approaching Chinese coast guard boats in mid-May 2024. He confirmed the troops held their weapons as the boats approached their outpost, a deliberately grounded Philippine Navy ship. “It is part of the rules of engagement,” he said, according to Reuters.
Cmdr. Liam Connel, a U.S. Navy judge advocate, said the Sierra Madre troops acted lawfully and showed “remarkable restraint” by not firing their guns. “The Philippine forces raising or pointing of weapons — if in fact true — would be consistent with a measured response that sought to deescalate the situation, very much consistent with international law principles of self-defense,” he told FORUM.
In mid-June, in another attempt to deter resupply missions to the Sierra Madre, Chinese forces seized two Philippine inflatable boats, injuring Philippine Navy personnel, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Chinese coast guard crews confiscated, damaged and later abandoned the inflatable boats after taking their contents, including rifles, according to the AP.
The assault occurred near the World War II-era vessel that’s grounded on Second Thomas Shoal, within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). “They have no right, or legal authority, to hijack our operations and destroy Philippine vessels operating within our exclusive economic zone,” Brawner said.
Philippine authorities are demanding return of the weapons and other equipment, and compensation for damages to the inflatable boats, the AP reported. Brawner likened the actions to piracy.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) claims almost the entire South China Sea, including Second Thomas Shoal and surrounding waters, despite a United Nations arbitration court’s 2016 ruling that invalidated Beijing’s assertion of sovereignty. To impose the illegal claim, Chinese coast guard vessels increasingly ram, block and fire water cannons at Philippine resupply boats. The PRC also instituted coast guard regulations in mid-June 2024 purporting it can detain foreign ships and crew “trespassing” in what the PRC unlawfully asserts is its maritime territory.
The confrontations and new PRC regulation have escalated tensions in the South China Sea, parts of which also are claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
