PRC Expands Aggression to Sabina Shoal
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) continues trying to assert control over waters to which it has no lawful claim. The latest such area is Sabina Shoal, 150 kilometers west of the Philippine province of Palawan and well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. The atoll is more than 1,100 kilometers from the PRC.
Manila suspects the PRC is attempting to build an artificial island at Sabina Shoal. The Philippine Coast Guard began maintaining a presence in the area in early 2024.
“We have to expect these kinds of behavior from China because this is a struggle. We have to be ready to anticipate and to get used to these kinds of acts of China which are patently illegal as we have repeatedly said,” Philippine Defence Minister Gilberto Teodoro told reporters in August.
Beijing’s aggressive response has included ramming Philippine vessels, blocking a medical mission, shadowing and carrying out dangerous maneuvers against Manila’s patrols and more.
The incidents illustrate increasing PRC aggression in and around Sabina Shoal. The PRC has engaged in similar harassment around the Second Thomas Shoal for nearly a decade.
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