China warned the United States on Tuesday that it has “no authority to intervene” in its maritime dispute with the Philippines, following a fresh clash near Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed reef in the South China Sea.
China and the Philippines have been locked in frequent confrontations in the waters over the past year, particularly over a warship that Manila sank in 1999 at Second Thomas Shoal. The area now houses a garrison and remains a source of tension between the two countries.
Both China and the Philippines reported Monday that their coast guard vessels collided near the disputed Sabina Shoal, about 140 kilometers (88 miles) west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) from Hainan Island, the nearest Chinese mainland.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory, although an international tribunal has ruled that the claim has no legal basis.
After the latest clash, the United States on Monday condemned “dangerous actions” that threatened “legitimate Philippine maritime operations.”
“These actions are the latest example of (China) using dangerous and escalatory actions to enforce its expansive and unlawful South China Sea maritime claims,” said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.
When asked about Patel's remarks on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning defended Beijing's “lawful actions to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
“The US has no right to intervene in the maritime dispute between China and the Philippines, as it is not a party to the South China Sea conflict,” Mao Ning said at a regular briefing.
“The US should stop provoking confrontation in the South China Sea, not disrupt regional stability and not escalate tensions,” he said.
Analysts say Beijing aims to advance from Second Thomas Shoal toward Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands, a move that would violate Manila's exclusive economic zone and aim to establish Chinese control over the area.
The confrontation was reminiscent of an incident in 2012, when Beijing seized control of Scarborough Shoal, a strategic location in the South China Sea closest to the Philippines. (ah/rs)
