Beijing [China], August 12: Facing the risk of "cooperation" in front of the Philippine Coast Guard, the warship and the Chinese coast guard ship collided with each other in the East Sea.
Yesterday, August 11, a Chinese warship and coast guard ship collided, causing serious consequences in the East Sea .
"Combat contract" failed
Yesterday, The Inquirer newspaper quoted the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) as saying that a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel collided with a Chinese naval vessel near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Scarborough Shoal was once controlled by the Philippines but lost control to China in 2012. Since then, the two sides have been constantly tense around this shoal.
Regarding the incident on August 11, two PCG ships, BRP Suluan and BRP Teresa Magbanua, were assisting ships, including Chinese fishing boats, in the area. At this time, CCG ship number 3104 attempted to block and chase away BRP Suluan. To force the BRP Suluan away, the Chinese side sent an additional warship with hull number 164 to cooperate with CCG ship 3104. Not only did it coordinate with warship 164 to force the BRP Suluan, CCG ship 3104 also fired water cannons at the BRP Suluan. At that time, BRP Suluan managed to escape the pincer attack. As a result, CCG ship 3104 collided with Chinese warship 164. As a result, CCG 3104 was severely damaged in the front, and many people on board also fell into the sea. According to PCG forces, the Philippines offered to coordinate the rescue but the Chinese side refused.
Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post quoted a CCG spokesperson as saying that on August 11, the force expelled Philippine vessels from "an entity in the South China Sea". The CCG also accused the Philippine vessels of "ignoring repeated warnings from China and persistently intruding into China's maritime routes". The CCG claimed that it had taken "necessary" measures including tracking, monitoring, intercepting and blocking, describing them as "professional, standard, legal and lawful".
New signs of stress
According to US Navy documents, the CCG 3104 is a Type 056 frigate that was transferred to the CCG by the Chinese Navy several years ago. Only commissioned in 2013, this class of warship has a displacement of about 1,500 tons and is equipped with many types of advanced weapons, including HHQ-10 air-to-air missile launchers, YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, etc.
The transfer of modern warships to the coast guard is one of the recent measures China has taken to strengthen the coast guard - which plays an important role in its maritime ambitions in the region.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Navy's warship numbered 164 is the Guilin destroyer of the Luyang 3 class (Type-052D) with a full displacement of 7,500 tons, and is one of China's most modern destroyer classes, commissioned since 2014. The Luyang 3 class possesses a state-of-the-art electronic system, along with 64 vertical missile launchers and can carry 2 multi-role armed helicopters.
For many years, the international community has assessed that China is applying a gray zone strategy in the East Sea. As analyzed by Thanh Nien , Professor James R. Holmes (maritime strategy expert - US Naval War College) pointed out that Beijing has deployed 3 forces to increase its activities in the East Sea. Specifically, the 3 forces include: the maritime militia (PAFMM), the coast guard and the navy.
PAFMM is responsible for harassing foreign ships. Supporting PAFMM is the coast guard force to intervene when being handled by other countries' official ships. Many Chinese coast guard ships are equipped with powerful weapons to intimidate and threaten official ships, fishing boats, and commercial ships of other countries. Not only that, Chinese coast guard ships are also ready to ram and attack foreign fishing boats. The ultimate support for the above two forces is the navy that Beijing regularly deploys in the East Sea.
Therefore, the event that happened yesterday, involving a combination of coast guard ships and warships, is an example of China's gray zone strategy.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper