A dangerous tangle in South China Sea

As though there were not enough dangerous tangles involving China around the Asian continent, a fresh one has opened up, in the heart of South-east Asia, with the Philippines asserting its fishermen’s rights to

access Scarborough Shoal

by

removing China-erected barriers around the reefs.

Acting on direct orders of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, coast guard divers snapped the lines connecting a row of buoys. Mr Marcos, who noted that the resulting access to the reef had allowed his fishermen to extract as much as 164 tonnes of fish in a single day, says that he is not looking for trouble, but “our resolve to defend the Philippines is strong”.

The action won praise from the United States,

which has in recent months repeatedly affirmed

its security commitments to the Philippines,

its oldest treaty ally in Asia. A Chinese Foreign Ministry official said the buoys had been laid after Filipino vessels “illegally” entered the shoal and described his nation’s actions as “professional and restrained”. Nevertheless, it is clear that a new line has been crossed; after months of enduring Chinese water cannon and even military-grade lasers aimed at its boats, Manila seems to have concluded that beyond calling China out, it has to do more to establish resolve. What comes next, and where, is the question on everyone’s minds.