China is pushing the Philippines to the brink of war — which by treaty obligation means a war with the United States.
The Philippines has accused China’s coastguard of intentionally colliding with its vessels and using water cannon and a military-grade laser against them, while China has accused the Philippines of trespassing in its territory.
“China warns Philippines against South China Sea ‘miscalculation,'” Reuters, Dec. 21, 2023
China’s “territory”?
Let’s face it, China doesn’t get along well with others. And its belligerence is exacerbated by the CCP’s “SWEEPING CLAIM” as Reuters notes:
China claims almost the entire South China Sea via a so-called nine dash line that overlaps with the EEZs of the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Indonesia.
An international arbitration tribunal in 2016 invalidated China’s claim in a ruling on a case brought by the Philippines, which Beijing did not recognise.
In a classic CCP response to the cries of another of its victims, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi “warned” the Philippines that, as Reuters put it, “any miscalculation would prompt Beijing to defend itself and ‘respond resolutely.'”
Reuters explains that this is a “dispute that has simmered for years, with the Philippines pushing back at what it sees as a Chinese campaign to prevent it from accessing fossil fuel and fisheries resources in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).”
No surprise then, why the Philippines has moved much closer to Japan and the United States. Their fear that a CCP-ruled China seeks to dominate them is quite reasonable.
