- Overview: The South China Sea just saw a major escalation. The Chinese Coast Guard deployed military-grade blinding lasers against Philippine resupply vessels near the Second Thomas Shoal.
- Key Points:
- Grey Zone Tactics: China is using “grey zone” warfare. By using lasers and water cannons instead of bullets, they bully rival nations without technically starting a shooting war.
- Blinding the Crew: The high-intensity lasers temporarily blinded the Filipino sailors, nearly causing a catastrophic collision at sea.
- US Treaty Warning: Washington issued a stern warning. They reminded Beijing that any armed attack on Philippine vessels would trigger the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.
- Freedom of Navigation: This aggressive move completely ignores the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and threatens one of the world’s busiest trade routes.
- Q6. In 2016, a tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that China’s ‘Nine-Dash Line’ claim had no legal basis under which international agreement?
- Geneva Conventions
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
- The Antarctic Treaty
- Kyoto Protocol
