With ship collisions, rammings and the use of flares and water cannons, a new flash point has emerged in the territorial and maritime disputes between China and the Philippines: Sabina Shoal.
In recent weeks, clashes between the countries’ vessels have become more frequent and intense as the two sides vie for control over the disputed South China Sea atoll, located about 110 nautical miles (204 kilometers) from the Philippine shoreline, well within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
But Beijing has long disputed this and in recent months amassed what Manila described as an “excessive force” of 40 naval and coast guard vessels in the area to, among other things, prevent the Philippines from resupplying one of its coast guard vessels, the BRP Teresa Magbanua. The move comes amid growing suspicions on both sides that the other may seek to take control of and build structures on a fishing atoll in one of the world’s busiest waterways.