A recent case of a Chinese militia vessel running aground on a strategic island in the disputed South China Sea has raised concerns from the Philippine side of another wave of so-called grey-zone activities by Beijing, even as Manila’s officials acknowledge the incident could be down to inclement weather.
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Observers point to the Philippines having adopted the same strategy to stake claim over the Second Thomas Shoal when it permanently grounded the war vessel BRP Sierra Madre in 1999.
The recent incident involving a Chinese maritime militia vessel with bow number 16838 happened on June 7, just one nautical mile from Pagasa Island (Thitu Island), the largest land mass in the Philippine-claimed Kalayaan Island Group within the Spratly Islands, located 528km (328 miles) from the western island province of Palawan.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine coastguard spokesman, in a social media post on Monday said the ship was likely to have been driven into the shallow area due to adverse sea conditions whipping up waves of up to three metres (9.8 feet) amid strong winds.
According to Tarriela, Philippine personnel had tried to reach out to the crew of the stranded vessel and render support to prevent reef damage, but the Chinese side “did not respond” and eventually freed themselves after three hours.
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The incident happened more than a week after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned of a China threat in the region at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major security summit in Singapore.