Maritime and aerial spats in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines, Washington’s oldest treaty ally in the Indo-Pacific, will be a key talking point in high-level meetings between the U.S. Department of Defense and their Chinese counterparts.
A senior defense official told reporters Wednesday evening that Chinese actions against the Philippines will be raised during the upcoming U.S.-PRC Defense Policy Coordination Talks. The engagement was described as “an opportunity for us to be frank and candid with the PRC about the issues affecting the relationship and the concerns that we have,” the defense official said. Other issues highlighted in the call included Beijing’s support of Russia’s war effort against Ukraine, operational safety and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The senior defense official called Beijing’s actions as a “threat to regional peace and stability,” noting recent ramming incidents against Philippine Coast Guard vessels by Chinese forces at Second Thomas and Sabina Shoals,
“The United States will do what is necessary to support the Philippines,” the official said. “The Philippines is our oldest mutual defense treaty ally in the Indo-Pacific. We’ve made very clear that the treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine Armed Forces, public vessels or aircraft, including those of its coast guard, anywhere in the South China Sea. So we’re watching further developments there very, very closely.”
No additional details were available about comments made by Indo-Pacific Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo on the possibility of escorting and supporting Philippine efforts in the South China Sea, no details could be provided. Paparo said last month that a U.S. vessel escorting Philippine forces was “an entirely reasonable option” and within the limits of the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.
Before Paparo’s statement, Philippine defense and military officials claimed that U.S. assistance had been offered. In July, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner confirmed the offers of assistance but told reporters that Manila prefers to conduct unilateral operations in the region.
Following Paparo’s offer of escorting Philippine vessels, Brawner reiterated his stance and claimed that the Philippines would only resort to bilateral operations with U.S. forces if there were no other options left.
“When our troops are already hungry, they don’t have any supplies anymore because our resupply mission have been blocked and they are on the verge of dying, then that’s the time we are going to seek the help of the United States,” Brawner said.
Despite the drastic increase in incidents between Manila and Beijing within the last year, the Philippines has yet to take up American offers of direct escort and assistance in its resupply missions. Although U.S. Navy maritime patrol aircraft and warships have been spotted in the vicinity of incidents, the noticeable lack of direct American presence leaves many questions about what the two nations define as an armed attack and tests the 70-year-old mutual defense treaty.
“Manila is trying to find the best approach to the situation in the South China Sea,” Julio Amador, an analyst based in Manila, told USNI News. According to Amador, the decision to conduct “white-hull-to-white-hull diplomacy,” referring to the Philippines’ exclusive use of Coast Guard vessels in countering China, has made the country “reticent” in the deployment of its naval forces.
“Manila also wants to avoid any accusation that Washington drives its decision-making. Manila wants to show agency and do everything that it can before it accepts any aid from ally and partner,” he said, noting Beijing’s claims that their disputes with the Philippines are a result of Washington’s supposed influence on the former U.S. colony.
With these issues in mind, Amador stated that policymakers from Manila and Washington have to work closely to “arrange cooperative activities that will allow for more US naval presence in the SCS without compromising Manila’s ability to handle a crisis on its own.”
America’s Oldest Treaty Pacific Ally 
Amphibious combat vehicles attached to Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, drive in formation back to the amphibious landing dock USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49) following a waterborne gunnery live-fire training during Exercise Balikatan 24 in Oyster Bay, Philippines, May 4, 2024. US Marine Corps PhotoU.S.-Philippine defense and security cooperation has ramped up in foreign military financing, joint patrols, exercises and base infrastructure investment. In July, U.S. officials pledged $500 million to help modernize the Philippine military and Coast Guard. American force posture deployments across the Southeast Asian country have also increased.
USNI News reported in June that the Marine Corps kicked off a deployment of Reaper drones at Basa Air Base, one of nine Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites earmarked for hosting rotationally deployed U.S. forces and constructuon projects. Army drones have been routinely operating out of Edwin Andrews Air Base, and the service’s new Mid-Range Capability was sent for Exercise Balikatan and Salaknib in April. The land-based vertical launching system capable of supporting Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 has yet to leave the country, according to comments from the Secretary of the Army
The Philippines and China lay claim to areas of the contested South China Sea. Under its expansive 10-Dash Line claim, Beijing claims virtually the entire region as its own, including the West Philippine Sea, a section that encompasses Manila’s exclusive economic zone. While the region was relatively quiet before 2023, a series of spats between Philippine and Chinese forces erupted across numerous maritime features. Among the most active hotspots was Second Thomas Shoal. Resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57), on Second Thomas Shoal, a rusting Second World War-era landing ship tank with an embarked contingent of Philippine Marines, have been consistently intercepted and harassed by the China Coast Guard. These incidents included the use of water cannons, ramming maneuvers and even boarding actions, culminating in the severe June 17 incident.
New flashpoints are also rising in the disputed region, with the latest at Sabina Shoal. Philippine Coast Guard flagship BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) has been stationed at the maritime feature since April 16 amid concerns about a Chinese artificial island reclamation attempt similar to those conducted at Subi, Mischief and Fiery Cross Reefs. A series of ramming and water cannon incidents around Sabina occured last month, with seven scuffles around and within the shoal during August alone.
