US offers to escort Philippines ships in South China Sea in new escalation

The United States has offered to escort Philippine resupply missions to outposts in the South China Sea, the Philippines says, following claims that China has purportedly been intensifying efforts to obstruct Manila’s supply ships in the contested waters.

At a press conference on Thursday, Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner said his country would only consider accepting the offer if it reached a point when it could no longer be capable of delivering life-saving supplies and its troops were “on the verge of dying.”

“We’re happy that the US has given us a range of options including that of joining or escorting us for the ROREs (rotation and resupply missions),” he added after meeting with US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo in the northern city of Baguio on Tuesday.

Brawner said Washington and Manila have explored ways to ensure Filipino personnel receive necessary supplies despite the presence of Chinese ships patrolling the area.

The Philippines, he said, for now has not exhausted its options and will continue to conduct resupplies “unilaterally.”

“If nothing works then that’s the time we can ask for help,” the Philippine military chief stressed.

Paparo said the US military was “ready” to consider escorting Philippine ships in the contested South China Sea, based on discussions under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between the allies.

The development comes amid a rise in tensions between China, which claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, and the Philippines, which, along with Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei, asserts overlapping claims with Beijing.

The longstanding territorial row between Beijing and Manila soared particularly under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with the Philippines pivoting back to the United States, which supports the country in its maritime dispute with China.

Although the US has no territorial claim over the waters or features, but it regularly conducts patrols there, solely or jointly with the Philippines, angering China. Washington has already pledged $500 million to boost Manila’s military and coast guard.

Over the past year, there has been a series of intensifying confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels during resupply missions to Filipino troops, coast guard members, and fishermen at Second Thomas, Sabina and Scarborough shoals.

Philippine and Chinese vessels have collided twice this month near Sabina Shoal, where the Philippine Coast Guard has stationed a ship to prevent China from taking control of the reef area.

The Philippines deliberately grounded the ship Sierra Madre on the reef of Ren’ai Jiao (aka Second Thomas Shoal) in 1999 to reinforce its claims over disputed waters surrounding it.

Since then, Manila has maintained a small troop presence on the vessel and at Second Thomas Shoal, where recent violent clashes have occurred.

Earlier this year, China cautioned Manila against provocative actions after the China Coast Guard intercepted a foreign vessel that “tried to forcefully intrude” into its territorial waters.