THE United States and the Philippines may hold joint maritime patrols in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, US Ambassador Philip Goldberg said Wednesday, but he did not say when these would take place.
He said such patrols would be well within the rights of both countries under international law to exercise their freedom of navigation in accordance with the United Nation Convention on the Laws of the Sea.
The US announcement comes amid growing tension in the region over territorial disputes between China and other Asian nations, including the Philippines.
“Washington…believes it is well within its rights under international law to sail in international waters and fly through international airspace,” Goldberg said.
“We do discuss that principle with the Philippines and so I’m not discarding that possibility, but we’re not going to make announcements about that beforehand because it’s our view that we have every right under international law to exercise freedom of navigation in the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea, and we will continue to do so,” Goldberg said.
The US envoy clarified that the prospect of holding joint maritime patrols is not part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement which was recently upheld by the Supreme Court.
“Edca itself is not designed to address the issues of South China Sea, the claims, the different disputes that are taking place. The effort is to help the Philippines develop its modernization program [for] the armed forces particularly in areas like maritime security and maritime domain awareness,” Goldberg said.
The agreement, whose validity has been upheld by the Supreme Court, provides for the increased rotational presence of US troops in the country.
In October last year, the American destroyer USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef, one of seven tiny specks in the Spratly archipelago where China has built artificial islands, drawing an angry response from Beijing.
America fears they are military bases in the making, which would greatly extend China’s military reach. It has called on China to halt all construction.
Some members of the House of Representatives have urged President Benigno Aquino III to start “freedom of navigation” patrols after the United States deployed the USS Lassen guided missile destroyer in October last year.
