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1 [1] (March 4, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/govesqo0001 and id is 1 raw text is: A A Congressional Research Service Inknrning the Ieg~sIative debdie since 1914 Updated March 4, 2025 China-Philippines Tensions in the South China Sea Overview In 2023 and 2024, the People's Republic of China (PRC, or China) increased pressure on the Philippines to abandon one of its nine outposts in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea (SCS) and attempted to deny Philippine vessels access to parts of the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that China claims as its own territory. The escalation of long-standing Sino-Philippine tensions raises the possibility of a crisis or conflict involving China, the Philippines, and potentially the United States. The United States and the Philippines signed a Mutual Defense Treaty in 1951 and a Visiting Forces Agreement in 1998. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., elected in 2022, has refuted China's claims in the SCS more vocally than his predecessor and pursued closer coordination with the United States. Marcos expanded military cooperation with the United States under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which aims to support U.S. strategic interests in the region and modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Some Members of the 117th and 118th Congresses introduced several bills reaffirming the U.S. commitment to the alliance and supporting Philippine efforts to combat PRC aggression. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the United States' ironclad support for the Philippines and criticized the PRC's dangerous and destabilizing actions in the SCS in his first call with his Philippine counterpart in January 2025. Rising Tensions n the South China Sea Second Thomas Shoal, an atoll in the Spratly Islands, is a potential flashpoint in the SCS (Figure 1). A low-tide elevation and fully submerged at high tide, it is roughly 105 nautical miles (nm) from the Philippine island of Palawan, 620 nm from the PRC, and 22 nm from Mischief Reef, a low-tide elevation in the Spratlys where the PRC maintains an outpost. The Philippines posts a small cadre of marines on a now-derelict Philippine Navy ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, which it grounded on the shoal in 1999 to protect its maritime claims. Since 2013, China has increased its presence near the shoal as part of its stated attempt to end the Philippines' presence there. In 2023, the China Coast Guard (CCG) and maritime militia vessels-ostensibly private boats that support PRC maritime claims-interfered with Philippine boats resupplying the BRP Sierra Madre. PRC officials have called occupation of disputed features by the Philippines a red line for the PRC. Notable incidents included the PRC's targeting of a Philippine Coast Guard boat with a military- grade laser, and using water cannons against, surrounding, and colliding with Philippine vessels. In December 2023, China engaged in what the Philippine government called a serious escalation in the SCS. PRC vessels reportedly swarmed the area near Second Thomas Shoal and harassed, blocked, and executed dangerous maneuvers, resulting in a collision between a PRC coast guard ship and a Philippine boat on a resupply mission. Each side accused the other of ramming one of its vessels. A CCG spokesperson stated its December 2023 actions were professional, standardized, legitimate, and legal. The Philippines successfully resupplied the BRP Sierra Madre on several occasions in 2023 and 2024, despite PRC obstruction. The U.S. Department of State issued statements critical of PRC actions and supportive of the Philippines' right to operate in waters around Second Thomas Shoal. Figure I. South China Sea and Disputed Areas China's Nine-Dash Line Island and shoal representations (enlarged for visibility). Source: CRS. Boundaries from U.S. Department of State. In June 2024, CCG personnel boarded a Philippine rigid hull inflatable boat, assaulted AFP marines, and destroyed equipment. In a separate incident, a Philippine marine lost his thumb when a PRC vessel rammed his boat as it sought to resupply the BRP Sierra Madre. Following these incidents, in July 2024, the two countries agreed to a provisional agreement regulating future resupply missions. The Philippines has successfully resupplied the derelict ship in the months since, and the two countries agreed to maintain the accord in January 2025 despite ongoing PRC harassment elsewhere in the South China Sea. In April 2024, the Philippines deployed its largest coast guard vessel, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, to Sabina Shoal, an unoccupied feature in the Spratlys, responding to reports of crushed coral. China responded by sending CCG vessels, which later rammed Philippine Coast Guard boats and