Beijing has warned that World War III could break out in the South China Sea as territorial tensions rise higher than ever and the country increasingly shifts its attention to the Philippines.
“We have a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines, but China doesn’t respect that,” China expert and Gatestone Institute fellow Gordon Chan told FOX News Digital.
“The State Department warned China twice, on the 5th and 29th of last month, that it was prepared to use force to fulfill its obligations under Article 4 of the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty,” Zhang said. ” he explained. “It’s a warning that we’re ready to go to war.”
First reported by MEMRI’s China Media Research Project, state-owned and operated media outlet China Daily published earlier this week a report by Yang Xiao, deputy director of the Maritime Research Institute, saying, “Manila must be warned against the horrors of war.” He published an editorial entitled, “We must do so.” Strategic research at China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.
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Mr. Yang, an expert frequently featured in various articles in China Daily, drew connections between current tensions between China and the Philippines and pre-World War I tensions in Europe.
Filipino soldiers participate in a flag-raising ceremony on Mabris Island during the visit of the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces, June 29, 2023 in Batanes, Philippines. Batanes Island, the northernmost island in the Philippines, is located just 140 kilometers from Taiwan. (Ezra Akayan/Pool via Reuters/File Photo)
At the bottom of the article, which notes that “this view does not necessarily reflect the views of China Daily,” Yang warned against Filipino politicians’ “flirtation with China.” He later makes reference to the “Sarajevo shooting” and engages in an incendiary discussion of history and current tensions. The United States hopes to gain the upper hand in a maritime dispute with China. ”
“Small countries in particular should heed the lessons of World War I, as it is not in any country’s interest to provoke conflict,” Yang wrote.
President Xi Jinping reviews the honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on November 22, 2023. (Florence Law – Pool/Getty Images)
Later in the article, Yang said that U.S. “decision makers” believe that “military intervention by the United States on behalf of the Philippines would have dire consequences for neighboring countries. The South China Sea is a sea of peace and cooperation.” I wrote that it should be recognized.
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“In the Philippines, only a handful of leaders are spreading anti-China rhetoric and stirring up extreme sentiments among the people, ignoring growing domestic challenges such as rising prices,” Yang wrote. . “What they don’t realize is that once the ‘Sarajevo shots’ are fired in Asia, innocent people in East and Southeast Asian countries will become the biggest victims of war.”
This screen capture from a video provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines shows a Chinese coast guard ship using water cannons and maneuvering closely alongside the Philippine supply ship Unayza on May 4, in the disputed southern part of the country. 2 Approaching Thomas Reef (locally known as Ayungin Reef). China Sea on March 23, 2024. (Philippine Army via AP)
China has recently troubled the Philippines over a disputed fishing reef, with the Chinese coast guard trying to chase away Filipino fishermen, leading to a tense standoff between the two countries.
Last year, there were a number of near-collisions between the two coast guard forces near No. 2 Thomas Reef. Philippine authorities protested China’s use of water cannons and military lasers.
On March 5, 2024, near No. 2 Thomas Reef, a Chinese Coast Guard ship approached a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the foreground, causing a minor collision. (Philippine Coast Guard, via AP)
China established sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal in 2012, after which the Philippines launched a formal protest in a UN-backed tribunal. The 2016 ruling was against China, rejecting Beijing’s claims on “historical grounds,” but Beijing rejected the arbitration and its results.
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The United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines will conduct the first full-scale joint naval exercise in a disputed region on April 7 to demonstrate fleet interoperability and demonstrate China’s strength. The two countries will then hold a summit and announce plans for joint patrols in the region later this year, according to Politico.
A Chinese militia vessel (top) near the Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Cabra approaches the disputed Second Thomas Shoal (locally known as Ayungin Shoal) in the South China Sea on October 22, 2023. (Philippine Army via AP)
Zhang argued that this kind of sporadic approach to inflaming tensions with neighboring countries is not surprising as China is “constantly shifting its attention, exploring its neighbors, especially Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines.” did.
“China has increased pressure on the Philippines, then the pressure has eased somewhat in recent days, but now it is increasing pressure on Taiwan,” Chan said. “While all of this is going on, there have now been more than 100 days of Chinese vessels intruding into Japanese territorial waters in the East China Sea around the Senkaku Islands.”
On December 2, 2023, a ship believed to be a Chinese militia vessel anchored near Whitsun Reef (locally known as Julian Felipe Reef), which is claimed by the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea. ing. The Philippine Coast Guard announced on December 3 that it will be under surveillance from December 3, 2023 onwards. Hundreds of boats believed to be Chinese militia have gathered around a reef near the Philippine province of Palawan. (Philippine Coast Guard, via AP)
“So what they’re actually doing is they’re applying pressure and then they ease up and go somewhere else and apply pressure there,” he explained.
However, Chan stressed that despite the mutual defense agreement with the United States, the Philippines remains the “militarily weakest” of these three targets.
“Biden himself warned from the steps of the White House on October 25, during a visit by the Australian prime minister, that the United States was prepared to use force. That’s why China has no faith in Biden,” Zhang said. insisted. .
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“There are many people who say we will fight China this year or next,” Zhang added. “I’m not saying it will happen, but I’m saying that if it does, the fighting is more likely to start in the Philippines than in Taiwan or Japan.”
“If you look at the situation in the Philippines, it would be easy to create an argument or a scenario where we go to war.” [China] “Over the Philippines…because you have all the elements in place,” he concluded, “all the elements are in place for a great power war to begin in the Philippines.”
