Why China rammed a Philippine ship while 60 Minutes was on board

An escalating series of clashes in the South China Sea between the Philippines and China could draw the United States, with which it has a mutual defense treaty, into the conflict.

A 60 Minutes crew was able to observe the tense situation up close while traveling on a Philippine Coast Guard vessel that was rammed by the Chinese Coast Guard.

China has repeatedly rammed Philippine ships and have fired water cannons at them over the past two years. There are ongoing talks between Washington and Manila about which scenarios would trigger US intervention, Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro said in an interview.

“I don't really know the end result,” Teodoro said. “I just know that we can't let them get away with what they're doing.”

China as “the proverbial schoolyard bully”

China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, through which more than $3 trillion worth of goods flow annually. But in 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled that the Philippines has exclusive economic rights in a 200-mile zone that includes the area where the ship carrying the 60 Minutes crew was rammed.

China does not recognize the verdict of the international tribunal.

“The proverbial schoolyard bully is the best example of what China is,” said Teodoro. “He just pushes you over the edge with violence.”

Ray Powell, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel who runs the nonprofit Sealight at Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, which tracks China's actions in the South China Sea, said China is getting away with its actions with impunity because there is no enforcement.

“China has decided that at this point in its history it is big enough to defy the law,” Powell said.

The 60 Minutes crew witnesses intense tensions in the South China Sea

Just last month, a team from 60 Minutes witnessed the dangerous situation in the region.

Correspondent Cecilia Vega boarded the Cape Engaño, a Philippine Coast Guard vessel, for a routine mission to supply ships and stations in the South China Sea. But in the middle of their first night at sea, the sirens sounded as they headed toward Sabina Reef.

“It's four in the morning,” Vega said from the ship. “We were all fast asleep. The alarm on the ship just went off. We were told to wake up and put on our life jackets because we had just been rammed by a Chinese boat.”

The crew of the 60 Minutes were ordered to stay in the cabin for safety. Confusion and fear reigned and it was unclear whether the ship would take on water or whether the Chinese would try to force their way aboard. The Filipino crew members prepared for this possibility and stood at the hatch with clubs in case they had to fend off the Chinese.

After the 269-foot-long, almost twice the size Chinese Coast Guard ship left, the Filipino crew discovered a three-and-a-half-foot hole in the hull.

The ramming incident occurred about 60 nautical miles off the coast of the Philippines and about 660 nautical miles from China.

As the day progressed, it became clear that the Philippine ship was surrounded by Chinese vessels. Manila and Beijing have stationed coast guard vessels in an area called Sabina Shoal in recent months, as the Philippines fears China may try to take control. The ship Vega and her team were on was en route to Sabina Shoal to resupply a Philippine coast guard vessel there.

“We are in a total stalemate. We have been here for almost two hours now and we are not moving,” Vega reported at the time. “It is unclear whether we can even turn around and go back if we wanted to. We are simply completely surrounded by Chinese ships.”

The Filipinos attempted to negotiate a way out, but were ultimately forced to abort the first stop of their mission. With their damaged boat, they had to make a long detour to their next supply shipment, with Chinese ships hot on their heels.

By this time, the Chinese had already published their version of the incident: they accused the Filipinos of instigating the conflict and showed the faces of the “60 Minutes” crew, whom they accused of being part of a propaganda campaign.

Captain Daniel Labay, the senior officer on the Cape Engaño, said it was clear the collision was not his ship's fault. He said the damage to the Cape Engaño would not prevent it from continuing its journey.

“This is our place. This is our exclusive economic zone,” he said. “This is the Philippines.”

The most violent incident to date

The Sierra Madre, a grounded World War II battleship deployed to defend Manila's claim to another disputed territory in the South China Sea, was the scene of the most violent incident yet.

When the Philippine Navy tried to deliver supplies to troops stationed on the Sierra Madre in June, the Chinese tried to block the shipment. They were carrying bladed weapons and spears, said Gen. Romeo Brawner, the Philippine military chief of staff. A Filipino Navy SEAL lost his right thumb when the Chinese rammed his boat.

“They stole our equipment. They destroyed our equipment. They injured our personnel,” Brawner said. “These are the actions of pirates.”

If the Chinese opened fire and the Filipinos shot back, it could mean the start of a war, Brawner said.

If the Chinese take over the Sierra Madre, American intervention would be expected, Teodoro said.

“This is an outpost of Philippine sovereignty,” Teodoro said. “So we're not just talking about a rusty old ship. We're talking about a piece of Philippine territory.”

The role of the USA in the Sino-Philippine conflict

The US has a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines, which means that the US is obliged to defend the Philippines if it comes under armed attack. If a future ramming incident sinks a Philippine ship and people die, the Philippines could go on a war footing and turn to the U.S., Powell said. It could damage U.S. credibility with its allies if it fails to meet its treaty obligations.

“Any agreement ultimately depends on the political will of the parties,” Powell said.

The United States currently conducts regular joint exercises with the Philippines, although it has not had a permanent military presence in the country since 1992. This year, the United States has pledged $500 million in military aid to the Philippines and another $128 million for base modernization.

President Biden has invited Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the White House twice in the last 16 months and assured him of America’s support. He has stressed that the The US commitment to the Philippines is “iron-clad”

Earlier this year, Washington sent the Philippines a powerful weapon as part of joint exercises – a medium-range missile system capable of reaching mainland China.

This move angered China.

“What happens on our territory is for our defense. We follow international law,” said Teodoro. “Why the fuss?”

China believes that the Philippines increases the risk of war in the region.

“That's what they always say,” said Teodoro. “Everything the world does that they don't like is the world's fault.”