now tensions between the Philippines and
China spiked once again this week over
the South China Sea Manila released
footage of China's Coast Guard firing
water cannons at its vessels and
summoned beijing's Deputy ambassador to
the country and as our correspondent
James Cher reports the spat raised
questions for the Philippines about how
to deal with Chinese aggression in the
disputed
Waters passing directly in front of this
Philippine supply boat a white Coast
Guard ship of China then
this four Filipino crew members were
injured this week when a Chinese water
cannon shattered the vessel's window
actions Manila described as a legal and
irresponsible it's a latest escalation
in Maritime tensions between China and
the Philippines which have competing
sovereignty claims in the South China
Sea the encounter occurred near the
second Thomas sha one one of at least
two atols claimed by both
countries they fall within the
Philippines exclusive economic zone in
yellow here but also within China's
so-called nine dash line the area
Beijing claims as its own that's despite
an international Court ruling in 2016
that its claims had no legal basis
China's Coast Guard Fleet is now the
largest in the world and analysts say
altercations like this show it's taking
on a more aggressive role in pursuing
beijing's Maritime interests it recently
ramped up patrols around the Taiwanese
islands of Ginman territory within
eyeshot of the Chinese Mainland which
Beijing views as its own you're sailing
within the Philippine exclusive economic
zone but all that stoking fears Maritime
spats could spiral into great power
conflict involving the United States the
US is taiwan's most important Ally and
arms provider and Manila has a mutual
defense treaty with
Washington Beijing has repeatedly
accused the US of using both Taiwan and
the the Philippines to push back against
China's Maritime claims but at a meeting
of regional leaders in Australia this
week the Philippine president Ferdinand
Marcos Jr said great power politics
weren't behind his country's response he
says he was protecting Philippine
interests alone such and du emphasis
tends to subsume the legitimate rights
and interests of countries like the
Philippines Australia and other Asian
member states into the interest of the
so-called major countries as if we are
mere pawns with no strategic
agency Manila has stopped short of
calling for the mutual defense treaty to
be activated but with Maritime
confrontations now more frequent it's
also becoming more challenging for each
side to strike a balance in these hotly
contested
waters for more let's pull in Southeast
Asia security analyst Richard hadarian
who joins me now from Manila Richard
we've seen several incidents like this
is in recent months is it only a matter
of time before the next
one well definitely that's what perhaps
the Chinese side wants us to believe I
mean there are growing discussions
inside China in fact some of their
experts analyst defense folks are openly
saying that it's time for China to show
its swords to impress upon the
Philippines its preponderance of
superiority when it comes to Naval
prowess but the reality is that the more
the Chinese are pushing the Philippines
the more the Philippines is going to
double down on its alliances not only
with the United States but also its
partnership with a whole host of
countries from Europe and across the
India Pacific so we're really in this
difficult situation whereby each side is
testing the limits of the other side but
I think as far as the Philippines is
concerned president Marco Jr has made it
clear uh there this is a red line
there's no way that they're going to
compromise on a single inch of
Philippines claims in the area and the
Philippines once to Al be grudgingly get
the respect of China because I think
China was too much used to kind of a OB
servian Philippines under former
president rrio DET but how far do these
Filipino red lines go I mean are you
worried that this situation could
potentially get out of hand to the
detriment of the
Philippines well I mean this is not
riskless right this is a very difficult
situation uh you know as far as the
Philippines is concerned it's facing you
know what I call you know strategic
gaslighting I mean we have China blaming
the Philippines for standing for its own
rights and sometimes completely denying
the Philippines strategic agency I mean
let's not forget the Philippines is not
doing this because this is the territory
of America or Sovereign rights of I
don't know Japan or in other country
this is about the Philippines own
Sovereign rights and I don't think any
Filipino president can survive a
situation whereby he sees he's seen as
succumbing to China having said that I
think China is also scratching its head
because it wants to impress upon the
Philippines the prop of its Force but so
far it's not working the more they push
the Philippines the more the Philippines
is going to
and the more the Philippines is going to
ask for help from other Alliance and
partners you recently said that the
growing tension with China is a chance
for the Philippines to refound the
country I'm scratching my head what did
you mean by
that well I mean many people tend to
forget I mean the Philippines has been
seen as you know the American Ally and
some even more negatively they see as
Philippines as some I don't know Banana
Republic who has been relying on America
for a long time I mean that caricature I
think shapes China's foreign policy but
the reality is that more than a century
ago the Filipinos were at the Forefront
of fighting against Western imperialism
first the Spanish then the Americans but
having said that it is also true that
the Philippines has so much relied on
America for for the past few decades or
so that it's finally now getting the
opportunity to prove its metal and and
finally I think as far as the Filipino
people are concerned they're beginning
to have a more concrete sense of their
national identity in contraposition to
the kind of bullying aggressive behavior
they're seeing from China so I think
this is also a chance for the
Philippines to strategically mature and
also carve out its own space among the
more proud nations in this part of the
world we'll leave it there for the time
being always a pleasure talking to you
Richard thanks so much for joining
us
pleasure