Why China rammed a Philippine ship while 60 minutes was on board.

An escalating series of clashes between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea could push the US, which has a mutual defense agreement with the Philippines, into the conflict.

A 60 Minutes crew got an up-close look at the tense situation aboard a Philippine Coast Guard ship that was rammed by the Chinese Coast Guard.

China has repeatedly targeted Philippine ships. and blasted them with water cannons in the last two years. Philippine National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said in an interview that discussions are ongoing between Washington and Manila about what scenarios would trigger U.S. involvement.

“I don't really know the final state,” Teodoro said. “All I know is that we can't let them get away with what they're doing.”

China as “the proverbial schoolyard bully”

China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, which receives more than $3 trillion in goods annually. But in 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled that the Philippines has exclusive economic rights over a 200-mile zone that includes the area where the plane with the 60 Minutes team collided.

China does not recognize the decision of the international tribunal.

“Schoolyard bullying is a perfect example of China,” Teodoro said. “It just puts you in the muscles.”

Ray Powell, a retired US Air Force colonel, runs the nonprofit Sealight at Stanford University's Gordon Knott Center for National Security Innovation, which monitors China's actions in the South China Sea. He said China gets away with its actions because there is no enforcement.

“China has decided that at this point in their history, they are big enough to circumvent the law,” Powell said.

A 60 Minutes crew witnessed violent tensions in the South China Sea.

Just last month, a 60 Minutes crew witnessed a dangerous situation in the region.

Correspondent Cecilia Vega boarded the Philippine Coast Guard ship Cape Engao, on what was supposed to be a routine mission to resupply ships and stations in the South China Sea. But in the middle of the first night at sea, the sirens started going off as they headed for Sabina Shoal.

“It's four in the morning,” Vega said from the ship. “We were all fast asleep. This alarm just went off on the ship. We were told to wake up and put on our life jackets because we had just been hit by a Chinese boat.”

The 60 Minutes crew was told to stay inside the cabin for safety. There was confusion and fear and it was not clear whether the ship would take to the water or whether the Chinese would try to force their way onto the ship. Filipino crew members prepared for this possibility and stood by the hatch holding clubs in case they had to stop the Chinese.

After the Chinese coast guard vessel – 269 feet long and almost twice the size of Cape Engano – was removed, the Filipino crew found a three-and-a-half-foot hole in the hull.

The incident occurred 60 nautical miles off the coast of the Philippines and 660 nautical miles off the coast of China.

As the day wore on, it became clear that the Philippine ship was surrounded by Chinese ships. Manila and Beijing have in recent months deployed coast guard ships around the Sabina Shoal, an area the Philippines fears China will try to gain control of. The ship Vega and her crew were en route to Sabina Shoal to resupply a Philippine Coast Guard ship.

Vega reported at the time that “We are at a complete standstill. We have been here for two hours, walking, not moving forward.” “It's not clear that we can turn around and go back if we want to. We're just completely surrounded by Chinese ships.”

The Filipinos tried to negotiate a way out, but were eventually forced to abandon the first stop on their mission. In their wrecked boat, they had to make a long detour to their next supply drop, as Chinese ships closely followed.

By then, the Chinese had already made their version of the incident public – accusing the Filipinos of inciting the controversy and featuring the faces of the 60 Minutes crew, accusing them of being part of a propaganda campaign. .

Cpt Cape Engano's top officer, Daniel Labay, said it was clear the collision was not his ship's fault. He said the damage to Cape Ngao would not stop him from continuing.

“This is our place,” he said. This is our exclusive economic zone. “This is the Philippines.”

The most violent episode ever

The Sierra Madre, a World War II-era warship used to block Manila's claim to another disputed territory in the South China Sea, was the scene of the most violent incident to date.

In June, when the Philippine Navy attempted to resupply troops stationed on the Sierra Madre, the Chinese attempted to intercept the shipment. Philippine military chief of staff Gen. Romeo Browner said they had brought weapons and spear blades with them. A Philippine Navy SEAL lost his right thumb when the Chinese rammed his boat.

“They stole our equipment. They destroyed our equipment. They harmed our personnel,” Browner said. “These are the works of pirates.”

If the Chinese fire and the Filipinos fire back, it could be the start of a war, Browner said.

Teodoro said that American intervention would be expected if the Chinese took the Sierra Madre.

“This is an outpost of Philippine sovereignty,” Teodoro said. “So we're not just talking about a rusty, old vessel. We're talking about a piece of Philippine territory.”

The Role of the United States in the Sino-Philippines Conflict

The US has a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines which means the US is bound by it. Defend the Philippines. If it comes under armed attack. If, in a future ramping incident, a Philippine ship sinks and people die, the Philippines could go on a war footing and turn to the United States, Powell said. If he fails to meet his treaty obligations, it could damage the US's reputation with allies.

“Every deal ultimately depends on the political will of the parties,” Powell said.

Currently, the US conducts regular joint exercises with the Philippines, although the country has not had a permanent military presence since 1992. This year, the United States has pledged $500 million in military aid to the Philippines and another $128 million to upgrade bases.

President Biden has invited Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the White House twice in the past 16 months and assured him of US support. He has emphasized that The US commitment to the Philippines is “ironclad”.

Earlier this year, Washington sent a powerful weapon to the Philippines during joint exercises – a medium-range missile system capable of reaching mainland China.

This move angered China.

“Whatever happens in our territory, is for our defense. We follow international law,” Teodoro said. “What's wrong?”

China says the Philippines is raising the risk of war in the region.

“That's what they always say,” Teodoro said. “Everything the world does that they don't like is the world's fault.”