Philippines Sets Up New Monitoring Base in Thitu Island

2 Dec 2023

Context: The Philippines inaugurated a new coast guard monitoring base on Thitu Island occupied by Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea.

About Philippines New Coast Guard Monitoring Base

  • The Philippines plans to expand joint patrols with the U.S. and Australia to counter China’s “pure bullying” in the strategic waterway.
  • China’s stand: China has warned that such joint naval patrols must not hurt its “territorial sovereignty, maritime rights, and interests.’’

Thitu Island:

  • Thitu Island  is a rock located in the Spratly Islands. The Philippines first took possession of the feature in 1974.

Thitu Island

Philippines-China Disputes:

Scarborough Shoal:

  • China seized the shoal in 2012 after a standoff with the Philippines.
  • Since then it has maintained a constant deployment of coast guard and fishing trawlers.
  • The Philippines and China claim the shoal, but sovereignty has never been established and remains effectively under Beijing’s control.
Scarborough Shoal:

  • Scarborough is the largest atoll in the South China Sea, 220 kilometers from the Philippines. 
  • The shoal is located inside the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines
  • The shoal is coveted for its bountiful fish stocks and a stunning turquoise lagoon that protects vessels during storms.

Thitu Island

Contesting Claims:

  • The Scarborough Shoal, also known as Huangyan Island. While it comes under the Philippines’ EEZ.
    • Beijing claims that the records show “China’s sailors discovered Huangyan Island 2,000 years ago.

About South China Sea:

  • The South China Sea is part of the Pacific Ocean partially enclosed by islands, archipelagos, and peninsulas from the open ocean. 
  • Location: The Sea is located to the South of China, West of the Philippines, North of the Bangka-Belitung Islands and Borneo, and East of Vietnam and Cambodia.
  • Major Flowing rivers: Min, Mekong, Pearl, Red, Pampanga, Pahang, Pasig, and Jiulong Rivers. 

For more Details: South China Sea Dispute: Conflict, Collision, Geopolitics, and Tensions

News Source: The Hindu

 

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