China bullies Philippines with Galwan 2.0 in South China Sea
Image credit X Philippines Navy
China revives Galwan clash memory with India by bullying Philippines
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, June 19: Chinese coastal guards’ violent skirmish with the supply boat of Philippines is now being described as Galwan 2.0. Four years ago, Chinese military personnel had engaged in violent skirmishes with the Indian security personnel in the Galwan valley in the eastern Ladakh.
Bianca Dava, a news broadcaster, gave a vivid description of the June 17 bullying of the resupply boat of the Philippines. “Several China Coast Guard vessels chased after and conducted dangerous maneuvers against one of the Philippine Navy’s patrol coastal craft during the June 17 resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea,” she posted on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
The accounts of the confrontation revealed that the Chinese coast guard personnel were armed with spears, swords, and knives. The Chinese military personnel in the similar fashion had come to the Galwan valley to engage in the violent clashes with the Indian military personnel.
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China had not disclosed the casualty in its military rank after the Galwan clashes. The social media users in China had claimed that there had been massive casualty in the ranks of the Chinese military.
“Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner alleged the Chinese boarders were armed with swords, spears, and knives,” Duan Dang, a South China observer, said in a post on X.
Brawner while giving accounts of the Chinese bullying said: “This is the first time that we saw the Chinese coast guard carry bolos — a type of single-edged sword.” He added that the Chinese coast guard personnel were also carrying spears, and knives.
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Dang described the June 17 confrontation of the two navies as ‘Galwan 2.0’. “When you are dealing with Chinese thugs, it is better to be suitably armed,” said former Indian diplomat Yogesh Gupta in reply to the post of Dang.
Stuart Alan Becker, a broadcaster, said that the June 17 “event took place 800 miles from the mainland China”.
Giving an account of the event., the Philippine military said that the Chinese coast guard rammed and boarded Filipino navy boats. It added that a Filipino sailor lost a thumb.
For months, China is bullying the Philippines in the South China Sea by laying claims of the Philippine territories. Brawner termed the action of the Chinese coast guard as “piracy”. An AFP report quoted him, demanding the return of seized weapons and other equipment. He also sought reparations for damaged items.
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South China observers maintain that the Communist nation “maintains the presence of at least 21 militia vessels and two CCG vessels at Second Thomas Shoal”.
China is imposing a blockade of a Philippine naval outpost in the South China Sea, said Dang.
The June 17 event being called Galwan 2.0 took place after the Chinese troops intercepted a Philippine mission to deliver supplies to the BRP Sierra Madre outpost in Ayungin Shoal.
The Chinese coast guards overpowered a rubber boat and also confiscated the crew’s firearms.
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