The Philippines has accused China of illegally sending over 100 ships to an area of the South China Sea that both countries claim. It’s the latest escalation in a long-running dispute in one of the world’s most contested areas.
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00:00 More than a hundred ships from China's maritime militia lined up in the South China Sea.
00:05 These images released by the Philippines Coast Guard show dozens of ships grouped together,
00:10 crowding a reef held by the Philippines.
00:13 Manila says it's alarmed by the presence of these ships,
00:16 but Beijing says there's nothing to see here.
00:19 The Chinese fishing boats are in the waters,
00:22 and they are closed.
00:23 It's illogical.
00:24 The African countries should not be talking back.
00:27 For the past few months, the Philippines and China have gone back and forth over disputes in these waters.
00:33 The South China Sea is rich in natural resources,
00:37 and more than a third of global trade passes through it,
00:40 making the sea very valuable to whoever controls it.
00:43 Beijing says that all of the sea belongs to China,
00:46 and it tries to prevent neighboring countries like the Philippines from defending their own claims.
00:51 Recently, Beijing has stepped up efforts to prevent Manila from resupplying this ship, the Sierra Madre,
00:57 on the Second Tomas Shoal.
00:59 It's the wreck of a World War II ship the Philippines intentionally beached there in 1999.
01:04 It's an outpost guarded by a small group of Marines.
01:07 The Philippines has a permanent presence there.
01:09 The Chinese, however, have been making ever-assertive attempts to blockade the shoal
01:15 and deprive the Philippine soldiers there of necessities, and they want to drive them out.
01:20 China has been looking to fortify and reaffirm its so-called "Nine-Dash Line" claim,
01:25 a claim that was rejected by a court of arbitration in 2016 and having no legal basis.
01:31 Despite this, Beijing has created several artificial islands
01:34 and continues to develop them into fully operational military bases,
01:39 not only equipped with missiles but functional runways for military aircraft.
01:43 Analysts say that the latest show of force involving the dozens of ships
01:47 is just the latest attempt by Beijing to assert its claims.
01:51 Their main purpose is to act as something of a floating marker of Chinese sovereignty.
01:59 And so oftentimes, you know, they don't have to build a new artificial island.
02:04 They can just have this row of ships that just lets everyone know that China belongs here.
02:10 That's why the Philippines has been looking to its allies and partners
02:14 for help to manage the increased aggression from China,
02:17 conducting joint Coast Guard patrols with the U.S. and Japan,
02:21 and trying to integrate more with other militaries to enforce its own claims.
02:25 Joint patrol with the U.S. and then demonstrates that the Philippines is being successful
02:31 in building its network of allies and partners that are willing to go out to sea with them.
02:37 And so that now that when China looks at the Philippines,
02:41 it doesn't just see a small country that it can push around,
02:45 but it sees a small, well-connected country that has friends.
02:49 But as Beijing continues to ramp up the number of ships it sends out as maritime militia,
02:53 it's yet to be seen if the Philippines and its allies will be able to prevent Beijing
02:58 from enforcing de facto control of the South China Sea.
03:01 Yixin Chen and Jaime Ocon for Taiwan Plus.
03:04 [BLANK_AUDIO]