Philippines Envoy Says South China Sea ‘Real Flashpoint’ in Asia, Not Taiwan

It is South China Sea and not Taiwan that is actual “flashpoint” that could le to an armed conflict in Asian region, Philippines’ top envoy in United States said on Thursday. “All hell will break lose if US decides to invoke mutual security treaty with Manila,” Ambassor Jose Manuel Romualdez said, warning about growing maritime tensions between China and and smaller island nations, as well as US in contentious waters.

“ real problem and real flashpoint, which is why I’m telling you how critical it is for us. real flashpoint is in West Philippine Sea,” Romualdez said, according to a South China Morning Post paper. latter warned that tensions will spiral into a full-fledged military campaign, a prospect that he ded, is far more alarming than Beijing claiming sovereignty on Taiwan. Mutual Defense Treaty between Republic of Philippines and United States of America (MDT) was signed on August 30, 1951, and states that both nations will support each or militarily of Manila is attacked or threatened.

Chinese President Xi Jinping “was not going to make a move unless he is absolutely sure that he can militarily take over Taiwan,” ambassor noted. He stressed that tensions were at an all-time high in West Philippine Sea, a maritime region that Manila demarcates as eastern parts of South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Philippines accuses Chinese coastguard of belligerence and provocations in hotly-contested sea by infringing ir sovereign territory. On several occasions, as Filipino boats and Chinese coastguards came face-to-face, PLAN personnel fired water cannons at Philippine boats. Just recently on February 21, Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was attacked by Chinese coastguards as it traversed Scarborough Shoal, disputed tritional fishing ground for several countries in South China Sea. atoll has been claimed by Republic of Philippines citing 1734 Velarde map.

Philippine ambassor to United States, Romualdez, warned that repeated skirmishes between Philippine and Chinese vessels in South China Sea might trigger a significant conflict at any moment and it wouldn’t be Taiwan Strait that will le to a military confrontation. This conflict bears potential to transform into a global conflict, he believes.