Page 178 - Cyber Defense eMagazine January 2024

With The World Distracted, China Stirs

Trouble in The Asia Pacific

By Stan Vitek, Resident Geopolitical Analyst, Cyfirma

Introduction – Thrilla in Manilla

President Biden warned that “conflict and chaos could spread to the Indo-Pacific” from late October, and,
amidst the wars in Ukraine and Israel, little attention has been paid to China’s ongoing coercion, in what
Beijing calls the South China Sea, and Manila, the West Philippine Sea (or simply, the Philippine Sea).

China’s latest actions involve a Coast Guard vessel nudging a tiny Philippines government-contracted
resupply boat, and a Chinese armed militia vessel similarly knocking a smaller Philippines Coast Guard
vessel. This is the first time the Philippines has reported Chinese ships deliberately hitting Philippine
government vessels, however, it’s not unexpected.

The Philippines has a derelict vessel called Sierra Madre beached on Second Thomas Shoal on which
live a number of military personnel who would fall under the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, if

Cyber Defense eMagazine – January 2024 Edition 178
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