PRC Can Exploit SCS Far Easier Than ASEAN

Pete Comment

Powerful PRC Coast Guard (CG) and Marine Militia (MM) vessels give the PRC an advantage over weaker ASEAN CG forces and too few US CG forces in the region. 

ASEAN (including Philippine) nations are disinclined to confront the PRC's CG with ASEAN naval vessels as this could escalate matters to ASEAN's disadvantage. Also there is no ASEAN banding together in an effective naval alliance. 

It really looks like ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, need to develop some sort of concerted reactions to the PRC's provocations. The issues of confrontation may just be fishing rights today but there may be more exploitable gas and oil under the South China Sea (SCS) than currently assumed. 

The PRC can exploit undersea gas, oil and (in future) mineral resources far more quickly and decisively than ASEAN countries and Taiwan. This is due to comparative lack of PRC regulatory obstacles and higher economic power and potential innovation for future undersea mineral exploitation.

ARTICLE

Anonymous kindly sent me the following offline:

"On [Dec 8, 2023] China Coast Guard cutters and Maritime Militia vessels disrupted the resupply of Filipino fishermen off Scarborough Shoal by civilian vessels under the Philippines’ Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). According to a press release from the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, the BFAR multi-mission offshore vessels BRP Datu Sanday (MMOV-3002), BRP Datu Bankaw (MMOV-3004) and BRP Datu Tamblot (MMOV-3005) were harassed by water cannons and long range acoustic devices from Chinese forces.""

See: https://news.usni.org/2023/12/10/chinese-ships-ram-philippine-vessels-hits-crews-with-water-cannons-in-series-of-south-china-sea-incidents