| Scarborough Shoal standoff | |||||||
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| Part of South China Sea dispute | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 China
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 PhilippinesNaval Support: | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
 PLA-N China Marine Surveillance Chinese civilian fishing vessels |
 Philippine Navy Philippine Air Force Philippine Coast Guard Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources U.S. Navy U.S. Merchant Marine (support vessel)
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The 2012 Scarborough Shoal stand-off was a military stand-off between the naval forces of China and the Philippines backed by the United States. It was the second time that China and the Philippines confronted with each other since the 1995 Mischief Reef standoff. The results were similar 17 years prior, with Chinese ships backing off from the shoal after a few days of facing off with American and Filipino warships.
Background[]
Scarborough Shoalalso known as Panatag Shoal (Filipino: Kulumpol ng Panatag) or Bajo de Masinloc, Huangyan Dao (simplified Chinese: 黄岩岛; traditional Chinese: 黃岩島; pinyin: Huángyán Dǎo), and Democracy Reef (Chinese: 民主礁; pinyin: Mínzhǔ Jiāo) is a shoal located between the Macclesfield Bank and Luzon island in the South China Sea. The Shoal is a disputed territory between the Republic of the Philippines, the People's Republic of China (PRC), and the Republic of China (ROC). The dispute is part of the greater South China Sea dispute among islands, reefs, shoals, and sand bars located in the area.
The Standoff[]
CMS patrol craft hull number 84 near the shoal.
On April 8, 2012, the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar was returning from patrols northeast of the Philippines following the failure of the North Korean rocket launch. The debris was expected to hit the waters northeast of the country. Returning back to the western coast, it received reports from local fishermen being harassed by larger China Marine Surveillance vessels. The report included Chinese fishermen illegally fishing within Philippine EEZ near Scarborough Shoal. The Gregorio Del Pilar then intercepted the Chinese fishing boats. Before a boarding team could enter, two CMS fast craft blocked the RHIB of the Philippine Navy. Knowing they were outnumbered, the Filipinos returned to their warship. At this time, two Philippine Coast Guard patrol vessels and one BFAR fast craft was called in to investigate the area. By this time, the CMS has completely blocked the shoal from the Filipinos while the Chinese fishing boats successfully escaped with their bounty of sharks, stingrays, fish, corals, and giant clams. The vessels would station themselves for the next few days in a stand-off with each other.
Between April 9-15, 2012, a Britten Norman Islander surveillance plane of the Philippine Navy and two OV-10 Broncos of the Philippine Air Force would conduct aerial patrols over the shoal.
All while on April 10, the PLA-N deployed one Type 54C destroyer shadowing the area.
On April 17, 2012, the Pentagon announced that the United States would not tolerate Chinese incursion near Philippine territory, citing that it threatens the safety of its enclaves and territories within islands. On April 18, 2012, the U.S. Navy deployed the USS Lassen and the USS Cowpens from the Subic-Olongapo Enclave with a merchant marine vessel in support to the Philippine fleet. A P-8 Poseidon was spotted circling above the stand-off during the same day. For two days, the Chinese stood-off with the combined U.S.-Filipino flotilla before backing off on April 20, 2012. After the Chinese withdrew, the Filipinos planted the flag on the Philippines on the shoal.
Aftermath[]
The result was another victory for the Philippines. However, on the negative side, it showed the Philippines may not be capable of defending their territory from foreign incursions. It also resulted in the straining of China-Philippines relations. Anti-China protests occurred in Manila at the time of the stand-off. There were also anti-China protests in the United States, Canada, and Europe where overseas Filipinos gathered outside Chinese embassies and consulates demanding that the PLA-N and CMS withdraw from Philippine territory. Subsequently, the anti-Philippine protests occurred outside the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Beijing. Protesters threw stones, bricks, and eggs at the compound before being dispersed by the People's Armed Police for violent behavior. An notable incident would be that Chinese people throwing Philippine-exported bananas into the sea.
The United States meanwhile expressed its intention of freedom-of-navigation around the area. The following months to come would see several American warships and maritime surveillance planes patrolling the area. Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam would send a few of their ships in protest of China's recent aggression in the South China Sea. The BALIKATAN exercises with the Armed Forces of the Philippines would nonetheless push through, much to the chagrin of China.
International Reactions[]
Units Involved[]
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- BRP Gregorio Del Pilar, a Del-Pilar class frigate (ex-USCG Hamilton-class cutter)
- RHIB with Philippine Marines and NAVSOG operators
- One (1) x Britten-Norman Islander maritime patrol aircraft
Philippine Coast Guard[]
- Two (2) x Coast Guard patrol boats with Coast Guard Special Operations Group
Philippine Air Force[]
- Two (2) x OV-10 Broncos
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources[]
- One (1) x fast craft with government officials
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USS Lassen (DDG-82)
- USS Lassen (DDG-82), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer
- USS Cowpens (CG-63), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser
- One (1) x P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance plane
- One (1) x support vessel form the USMM as part of the Military Sealift Command
China Marine Surveillance[]
- Two (2) x patrol craft, hull number 84 and 85
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- One x Type 54C destroyer
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