The Philippines’ “Christmas convoy” on Friday embarked on its journey to deliver supplies to troops and fishermen in outlying parts of the South China Sea while sending a message to China.
The civilian convoy, organized by the volunteer coalition “Atin Ito”—Tagalog for “It’s Ours”— comprises over 40 groups so far, according to Philippine news channel ANC Digital, which was on the scene.
The “Christmas convoy” represents a civilian-led effort to address regional tensions and assert Manila’s stance in an ongoing territorial dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea.
In the video, volunteers aboard the mothership can be seen adorning it with Philippine flags and “Atin Ito” signs. The coalition says the mission extends beyond delivering supplies and is challenging China’s maritime claims in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
The convoy’s route includes Philippine-held islands in a region where tensions between the Philippines and China have intensified this year.
The Philippines’ National Security Council initially discouraged the volunteers because of recent tensions with Chinese maritime forces. But last week the council reversed course and gave its approval.
The coast guard is providing an escort as a safety precaution, and some navy and coast guard officials will be aboard the civilian vessels, organizers have said.
Though the convoy will sail through “the vicinity” of Second Thomas Shoal, it will keep a safe distance from a hot spot, which the Philippines calls Ayungin Shoal and China calls Rena’i Reef.
Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images
Second Thomas Shoal is at the center of the territorial struggle between the two neighbors. The Philippines stations a small outfit of troops there aboard the Sierra Madre, a former warship run aground to stake the country’s claim. China routinely tries to block Philippine supply runs to the shoal.
The volunteer convoy will first take on additional volunteers and media at the island province of Palawan before heading for more remote waters. The mission is set to end on December 13.
The leaders of the G7, in a joint statement Wednesday, condemned China’s “expansive maritime claims” and “militarization activities” in the South China Sea. The leaders affirmed support for a 2016 international tribunal ruling that dismissed these claims, which Beijing seeks to assert through its “dashed line.”
Also on Wednesday, the Philippines House of Representatives adopted a resolution calling on the country to “assert and fight for its rights in the [South China Sea] and uphold the 2016 arbitrated decision.
Asked about the resolution during a press conference Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin reiterated China’s “indisputable sovereignty” over the sea’s disputed waters, citing historical rights. He also said the tribunal’s ruling was moot because the court had “violated the principle of state consent.”
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.