South China Sea: expect ‘more provocations’ from Manila, and Hanoi could be next
Beijing ‘must be prepared to respond’, and it might be headed for confrontation with Vietnam over land reclamation, analyst warns
He said there was no sign that tensions would ease over the maritime disputes in the South China Sea and the Philippines was now the “most prominent” rival claimant.
Addressing foreign diplomats, academics and officials, Wu accused Manila of trying to “occupy” new maritime features and to “expand disputes” over Second Thomas Shoal, Sandy Cay and Scarborough Shoal, where a series of run-ins between Chinese and Philippine vessels have taken place in recent months.
He also pointed to the Philippines allowing a US mid-range missile system to be deployed in the north of the country, saying it was an attempt to “disrupt cross-strait peace”.
The mid-range capability launcher, also known as Typhon, was stationed in the Philippines in April 2024 during joint exercises with the US, its first overseas deployment. Manila later said it had decided to keep the system indefinitely.
Beijing was angered by the move given the strike capabilities of the ground-based launcher, which can fire Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles with a range of up to 2,000km (1,242 miles) – meaning parts of the South China Sea, Taiwan Strait and even southern China would be within reach.