South China Sea Convoy Challenges Beijing's Territorial Claims
A coalition of Philippine civilians has embarked on its third mission to defy China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.
While the Atin Ito coalition-Tagalog for "This is Ours"-anticipated a possible challenge from China's assertive coast guard, the volunteers sought to send a "message of peace and unity," spokesperson Rafaela David told local media on Monday.
China claims sovereignty over roughly 90 percent of the South China Sea, citing "historical rights," despite a Hague-based arbitral tribunal's 2016 ruling dismissing the claims as incompatible with maritime law.
China's expansive moves in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone have been met with pushback. The result has been spiraling tensions and dramatic standoffs between the countries' government forces, raising concerns about a potential conflict that could trigger the Philippines' Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry by email for comment.
More than 150 volunteers-including activists, fishermen, musicians, and civic and church leaders-set sail for Philippines-controlled Thitu Island early Tuesday morning as part of a convoy centered on the civilian vessel Kapitan Felix Oca.
Tensions over Thitu, the only inhabited feature in the Spratly Islands archipelago and home to a modest military outpost, flared up again in recent days.
Last week, China's coast guard executed close-quarter blocking maneuvers and deployed its water cannon in nearby waters while attempting to drive off a Philippine fisheries bureau vessel that Manila said was supporting a scientific mission.
The group said it aimed to distribute supplies such as food, medicine and fuel to local fishermen and servicemembers stationed at the garrison. Performers will also hold a concert on the island as a message of solidarity.
"We are not just asserting territory. We are asserting that ordinary Filipinos have a stake here," David told reporters before departure from Manila on Monday. "We will not be intimidated."
The Philippine coast guard said it deployed one of its largest patrol ships, the BRP Melchora Aquino, along with the smaller BRP Malapascua, to escort the Felix Oca.
As of 3 p.m. local time, two Chinese coast guard ships were observed "shadowing" the civilian convoy about 66 miles off the north coast of Palawan province, Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The Chinese vessels reportedly issued radio challenges asserting China's claim and citing "domestic and international law," while rejecting the 2016 arbitral decision.
"In response to the unauthorized patrol by the China Coast Guard, the Philippine coast guard vessels have initiated radio communications to challenge [Chinese coast guard vessel] 3306's claim of operating under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China," Tarriela said.
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, a Philippine navy spokesperson,told Newsweek: "We do not speculate on the actions of any adversary. Nevertheless, we are ready to respond to any threat that may face the Atin Ito convoy."
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, in a statement: "Nansha Qundao, including Tiexian Jiao, has always been China's territory. China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Qundao [the Spratly Island group] and its adjacent waters.
The Atin Ito participants are scheduled to begin their return trip to Manila on Friday.
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