October 26, 2023
Holding the Line Against China’s Maritime Bullying: The Philippines Sets a New Standard
Recent collisions between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea are the latest indications of rising tensions between the two nations over their maritime disputes that could potentially draw in the United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines for over 70 years. Despite the risk that tensions could further escalate, Washington must stand firmly behind Manila. Beijing is testing not only Manila’s resolve, but also that of Washington, seeking to determine whether the Middle East crisis is distracting U.S. attention away from the Indo-Pacific.
The Philippines’ bold actions provide a powerful example to other Southeast Asian nations on how they, too, can resist Chinese violations of their sovereignty and access to crucial resources and livelihoods.
China has long pursued its illegal and expansive maritime claims through “gray zone” tactics — coercive behavior that is aimed at changing the status quo but that is below a threshold that would prompt a military response. More recently, the focus of its maritime bullying has been the Philippines, which in the last nine months, has faced Chinese military-grade lasers and water cannons aimed at preventing it from resupplying an outpost in the disputed Spratly Islands.
Read the full article from The Diplomat.
More from CNAS
-
Beijing Sees One Theater. Washington Should, Too
Commentary
Giving Taiwan the means to remain free is not a call for war. It is how the United States deters one, preserving peace along the First Island Chain and across the broader Indo...
By Ryan Claffey
-
Pyongyang silent on Trump’s stated overture to Kim
Video
Dr. Duyeon Kim, an adjunct senior fellow with the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, joins CNN to discuss the likelihood of a meeting bet...
By Dr. Duyeon Kim
-
Japan Is Emerging as a Regional Security Power Broker
Commentary
While Japan’s re-emergence as a security partner in the Indo-Pacific may not be welcomed by its geopolitical antagonists, Tokyo’s multilateral approach to preserving the statu...
By Derek Grossman
-
China Presses a Weakness in America’s Tech Policy
Commentary
America’s semiconductor strategy now must confront not only who controls the factories, tools, and materials required to make chips, but also who controls the language those c...
By David Feith
