Philippines, US, Japan to boost maritime defense capabilities

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines, the United States and Japan have vowed to strengthen trilateral defense and security efforts to “maintain a free and open maritime order” in the face of reckless and provocative actions of Chinese vessels in Philippine waters and in other parts of the South China Sea.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año and his US and Japan counterparts Jake Sullivan and Akiba Takeo made the commitment – according to a readout from the White House – in a three-way phone conversation on Wednesday, where they “reaffirm their commitment to freedom of navigation and international law in the South China Sea and East China Sea and the fundamental importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”

The trio expressed their concerns over China’s recent “dangerous and unlawful” actions in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc, also called Panatag Shoal or Scarborough Shoal, in the West Philippine Sea and called on Beijing anew to abide by the legally binding ruling in 2016 of the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague invalidating China’s massive claim and reaffirming the Philippines’ maritime entitlements.

In their phone conversation, Sullivan reaffirmed Washington’s iron-clad alliance commitments to both Japan and the Philippines.

The three national security officials underscored the importance of enhancing trilateral cooperation and committed to continue implementing the initiatives they discussed at their June meeting, including trilateral efforts to enhance defense and security capabilities, particularly on cyber security; maintain a free and open maritime order, enhance cooperation on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and maintain a free and equitable economic order.

“The three NSAs reaffirmed their decision to conduct close trilateral coordination over the coming months to advance their shared interests in a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the statement from Washington read.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III and his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro Jr. discussed over the phone also on Wednesday China’s hostile actions last weekend, including the use of water cannons and engaging in dangerous maneuvers to drive Philippine vessels on humanitarian missions from Ayungin Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc, which are within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Austin expressed US support for the Philippines’ defense of its sovereign rights, in accordance with international law.

He reiterated that the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines covers the armed forces, public vessels and aircraft of both countries anywhere in the Pacific and in South China Sea. He commended the professionalism of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the face of China’s unlawful behavior.

Austin and Teodoro highlighted the Philippines’ recent bilateral maritime activities in the South China Sea with the US and Australia.

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said US defense officials were in close consultation with counterparts from the Philippines following the latest case of China’s harassment of Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea.

The incident prompted Manila to summon Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian and file a diplomatic protest – the latest of the more than a hundred protests lodged against Beijing over its ships’ hostile activities in Philippine waters.

Meanwhile, AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. confirmed yesterday that he had a conversation with Huang before the Ayungin Shoal incident over the weekend.

He stressed engagement with Huang was simply an “intellectual discussion” where they put forward their respective positions on the West Philippine Sea issue, without raising their voices.

“It was a discussion, it was an intellectual discussion between the two us, so they were asserting their stand and I was also asserting the Philippine stand,” he told Radyo 630 in an interview Wednesday night.

He recalled seeing the ambassador earlier and telling him not to let Chinese ships block the Christmas convoy. “I told him not to block the Christmas convoy, as they would be merely bringing Christmas food and gifts to our soldiers and the communities in the WPS,” he said.

He said Huang was insisting that the WPS is Chinese territory. “I told him we are just there to protect our sovereignty and our sovereign rights.”

Brawner confirmed Haung had warned him not to provoke China, to which he replied, “No, you are the ones provoking us.” – Michael Punongbayan