China's slow-motion island-hopping campaign isn't as obvious as Russia's invasion of Crimea, but it is taking place. The Philippines are under more pressure:
The Philippines air dropped food and water to soldiers stationed on a grounded transport ship on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, after China blocked two Filipino supply ships from reaching the troops, a senior navy official said on Wednesday.
Chinese ships patrolling waters around Second Thomas Shoal, known in China as the Ren'ai reef, on Sunday ordered the Philippine ships carrying construction materials to leave the area.
Beijing claims Manila is trying to start construction on the disputed reef after it ran aground an old transport ship in 1999 to mark its territory and stationed marines on the ship. Manila claims the Shoal is part of the Philippine's continental shelf.
We are not amused:
The United States, a treaty-bound ally of Manila, said it was "troubled" by Sunday's incident in which China prevented movement of two ships contracted by the Philippine navy to deliver supplies and troops to the disputed Second Thomas Shoal.
"This is a provocative move that raises tensions. Pending resolution of competing claims in the South China Sea, there should be no interference with the efforts of claimants to maintain the status quo," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
We need to help Manila keep their garrison on the island. Once a garrison is gone, the Chinese will move in and pretty soon they have a concrete death star sitting on stilts to cement their control. (I highly recommend this article which shows the uneven nature of the contest.)
Heck, the Chinese might get jealous of Russia's speed if Moscow gets away with their relatively high-speed conquest of Crimea.
UPDATE: But thanks to China, our negotiations with Manila will go much more smoothly:
The Philippines has agreed to allow the United States access to its military bases under a new security deal being negotiated by the two allies, amid mounting concern over China's increasing assertiveness in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
The offer was made during a sixth round of talks held in Washington last week, Filipino officials said on Friday. The two sides hope to finalize terms before U.S. President Barack Obama embarks on a visit to Asia, including the Philippines, next month.
We will have shared access (including the ability to store equipment and supplies) to portions of Filipino bases during peacetime and outside of scheduled joint training exercises with their military or during port visits.
