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Friday, March 29, 2024

US defies China’s warning on WPS dispute

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There’s no stopping the United States from conducting freedom of navigation operations in the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea.

US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim said the US is concerned over China’s actions and its statement warning Washington to stay away from the disputed waters, but said that the US will continue “to protect important international rights for everybody, including the Philippines.”

Kim said China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea suggest “that they are moving towards militarization.”

“We are concerned. I think we are concerned anytime a claimant, including China, takes aggressive unilateral actions towards militarization, which is clear what they have done and I saw the report,” Kim told journalists in Manila.

The US has accused China of encroaching and  militarizing the South China Sea following reports that Beijing has installed missiles and radars on artificial islands it built on the waters.

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China also reportedly sent Chinese military vessels in one of the Philippine-claimed features, called the Mischief Reef (Panganiban Reef), that it now controls.

China has dismissed The Hague tribunal’s decision on a case filed by the Philippines that invalidated its virtual claim over nearly the entire waters in July 2016.  It also refused to participate in the proceedings done under the auspices of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea both signed by both the Philippines and China.

The South China Sea, or West Philippine Sea has been a significant ssealane where oil and natural gas have been discovered in several areas. The islets and islands or parts of it within the region are being claimed not only by China and the Philippines but also by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

“We have called on countries to refrain from reclamation and militarization of the reclaimed land and we will continue to do so,” Kim, adding that “it is very important for us to be present” in the South China Sea.

Kim said the recent visit of US warships, along with aircraft carriers, USS Carl Vinson and USS Theodore, Roosevelt, as well as the USS amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard in the country are “directly relevant to the situation that we have in the South China Sea.”

 “Not only does our presence through visits…demonstrate our commitment to Philippines-US alliance to the region and also to doing everything we can to protect freedom of navigation and overflight, commerce, which are not only important rights to the US but important rights for everybody including the Philippines. So we’ll continue whatever we can to protect those rights,” he said.

The US does not dispute any part of the contested waters, but it has repeatedly declared that part of its national interest is to ensure freedom of navigation, trade and peace and stability in the South China Sea, where a large chunk of the world’s trade passes through.

And despite China’s statements warning the US, Kim underscored the importance of refraining from unilateral aggressive actions that will violate international laws and norms.

Kim said it is important for all claimants to refrain from reclamating and militarizing reclaimed lands and to uphold the rules-based order.

At the same time, Kim welcomed the ASEAN and China’s efforts to hammer out a code of conduct in the South China Sea which is aimed at preventing conflicting claims from erupting into violent confrontations or worse, an economically-devastating major conflict.

The US envoy also said how “a vague and ambiguous document that is not binding would do in terms of helping the claimants resolve an obviously very complex situation.”

“I am cautious about commenting on specific elements that we would like to see but I think it would be in the interest of all parties to have a detailed and meaningful document that helps the parties, that guides parties towards the peaceful resolution of the disputes,” he said.

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