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As U.S. and Chinese leaders prepare to meet tomorrow, the world is watching. In the disputed South China Sea, or the West Philippine Sea, as it's called in the Philippines, residents of Thitu Island are watching closely as well. Jan Camenzind Broomby reports.
JAN CAMENZIND BROOMBY: If you were trying to stake your claim to a contested island in the middle of an ocean, how would you do it? Military exercises? A new coast guard base? How about a rap concert?
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL GROUP: (Singing in non-English language).
BROOMBY: It feels like almost the entire island has turned out for this concert tonight. People are waving. People are singing along. There's clearly an excitement in the air.
We're on Thitu Island, a tiny Philippine spit of sand in the middle of the South China Sea some 500 miles from the Philippine capital. In the crowd, we found Jorge Olean Misajo, a local resident.
JORGE OLEAN MISAJO: It's the first time that they invited a band, and they really enjoyed it. I think it really boosts the morale of everyone.
BROOMBY: With its tranquil beaches and sandy streets, Olean Misajo's home could easily be mistaken for a holiday destination. But the calm masks the tension. China claims most of the South China Sea, including this island. That's despite a 2016 tribunal in The Hague that sided with Manila, finding Beijing's sweeping claims had no legal standing. In the last decade, Beijing has reinforced its claims with actions, including boosting its coast guard presence. It's a change that local fishermen like Ken Rabaya have witnessed.
(SOUNDBITE OF OCEAN WAVES)
KEN RABAYA: There's a lot of Chinese militia, like Chinese coast guard. They are provoking for the fishermen. We are afraid.
BROOMBY: Amidst the geopolitical struggle, he says he just wants to be left alone to fish.
RABAYA: I want some peace of mind for the people living here, for my family, for living.
BROOMBY: It's a sentiment echoed by residents, like local government worker Cris Anit. Although Thitu feels like home, he's well aware he lives on a geopolitical fault line.
CRIS ANIT: It's very hard because of the contention between the two nations, China and here. And what I worry is that the time will come when our territory becomes compromised because of international conflict.
BROOMBY: And because Manila is a treaty ally of Washington, a spark could eventually escalate into a broader conflict between China and the U.S. So as Chinese and American leaders prepare to meet in Beijing this week, he's holding his breath.
ANIT: I hope so - that Donald Trump and the meeting with Xi Jinping would have a very good result for the development of this country.
BROOMBY: In the face of tensions, the Philippines has tried to push back. Just last month, authorities upgraded their coast guard presence on the island. Despite this, residents remain subject to Chinese pressure. Just to reach the island, we had to travel almost two days on a civilian vessel that was shadowed for its entire journey.
(SOUNDBITE OF WATER SPLASHING AGAINST BOAT)
BROOMBY: It's gone just past 7 in the morning on the boat here, and already we've been told we're being tailed by a Chinese coast guard vessel. I can see an enormous ship just on the horizon.
As we approach the island, the Chinese vessel begins to issue warnings.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Your vessel is in waters under the jurisdiction of China.
BROOMBY: It's part of a broader pattern. Countries that make territorial claims in the region - in particular, China - are slowly ratcheting up pressure but steering clear of an all-out conflict. It's what Emory University's political scientist Renard Sexton calls gray zone tactics.
RENARD SEXTON: The risk of conflict in South Chinese Sea is not zero, but the most likely scenario is that we continue on the same path. People are testing. They're seeing what they can achieve without incurring real risk.
BROOMBY: But for those on the frontlines of this tension, the risk feels real. Back at the concert, the group breaks out into a patriotic song calling for Filipinos to protect their land.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL GROUP: (Chanting in non-English language).
BROOMBY: This is our territory. We will not fall. We will not surrender, they chant, a poignant message for Thitu's residents who see themselves not just as villagers, but protectors of their own land, now subject to decisions being made by leaders far from home.
For NPR News, I'm Jan Camenzind Broomby on Thitu Island. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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