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A diver’s underwater cutting of a section of rope in the South China Sea, as shown in a short video clip this week, may seem too simple an act to qualify as a serious international incident. Rope 4 Mm
But that diver was with the Philippine Coast Guard, and the rope was part of a barrier placed by Chinese forces to keep Philippine boats away from an area where they had a legal right to fish. In that moment, the Philippines took one of the most forceful steps yet in contesting China’s expanding territorial claims, which have moved ever closer to the Philippine Islands.
“The barrier posed a hazard to navigation, a clear violation of international law,” the Philippines said in a statement, adding that the action had come on direct orders from Ferdinand E. Marcos Jr., the country’s president. Marcos has signaled that he wants a more muscular foreign policy toward China, which has been mostly rhetoric until now.
Apprehension is rising about the risk of a direct clash between China and the Philippines and its allies, including the U.S. Navy fleet patrolling the region. But many analysts say China is likely to stop short of taking military action to avoid provoking the U.S.
Quotable: “It’s natural to feel fear because, should there be a conflict, we will be the first one to feel it,” said Leonardo Cuaresma, the president of the fishermen’s association in a Philippine municipality near where the barrier rope was cut.
Response: Yesterday, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry brusquely dismissed the Philippines’ official statement. “We advise the Philippines not to cause provocation and cause trouble,” he said. After the rope was cut and the Philippines lifted the anchor that had kept it in place, China removed the barrier.
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