The dispute between China and the Philippines over the countries’ maritime boundaries seems to have moved to a much more dangerous level — and could soon include the United States.
China is now warning of a potential war with its Asian neighbor.
“No matter how willing we are to discuss the issue, the current Philippine leadership is intent on pressing us into a corner where there is no other option left but the use of arms,” said an editorial in the state-controlled China Daily newspaper.
The dispute is over a small group of islands called the Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines that both nations claim as their territory.
Last month, a tense standoff took place between navies of both countries, after military vessels from the Philippines tried to stop a Chinese fishing fleet from entering the territory.
Non-military ships from both nations remain in the area to enforce their claim.
The shoal is about 140 miles from the coastline of the Philippines, which insists its claim is supported by international law.
The nearest Chinese-controlled land mass is several hundred miles away.
But China claims most of the South China Sea. Its claim spreads far to the southeast and includes waters very close to other Asian nations, such as Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
It is thought the South China Sea has vast quantities of oil and gas beneath it and all of these nations want to stake their claim.
It’s also a widely perceived as a potential flashpoint between the countries; it is also a major international waterway of the United States, which uses it to have its fleets pass through to the Middle East.
China announced today it was suspending all tours of the Philippines by Chinese nationals because of the risk, it says, for their safety.
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