China nixes SCS ruling anew, says ‘pandering’ to cause tensions
Top Philippine and American officials are ironing out a road map of US security assistance to the country covering the next five to 10 years.
Meanwhile, China expressed Wednesday through its foreign ministry its “serious concern and disapproval” of the joint statement released by the Philippines and the United States on the 2016 Arbitral Award, Beijing maintained its “indisputable sovereignty” over islands in the South China Sea.
In Washington for talks, Defense chief Carlito Galvez and Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo received assurances from their American counterparts, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, of the delivery of “priority defense platforms” that include drones, radar, military transport aircraft, and coastal and air defense systems.
“At today’s meeting, we redoubled our commitment to modernizing the Philippine-US alliance, recognizing that our partnership will need to play a stronger role in preserving an international law-based international order. This means ensuring the conduct of high-level and high-impact, high-value joint exercises, training, and other related activities,” Manolo said.
“We especially welcome the United States pledge to fast-track and to ramp up support for the modernization of our defense, civilian law enforcement, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response capabilities, especially in the maritime domain, as well as the implementation of EDCA (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement) projects and investments in and around EDCA-agreed locations,’ he added.
The United States on Tuesday promised to defend the Philippines in the dispute-rife South China Sea as the allies launched their largest-ever joint exercises in the face of Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the region.
But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said last night: “Pandering to countries outside the region will not result in greater security. It will simply cause tensions, put regional peace and stability at risk, and eventually backfire.”
“The so-called South China Sea arbitral award is against international law. It is illegal, null, and void, and China does not recognize it. We are ready to properly manage maritime disputes if there are negotiations, but we will firmly uphold our sovereignty and maritime rights,” Wang added.
As to the US military sites in the Philippines, Wang said: “I’ve stated our position. Action speaks louder than words. The location of the new sites speaks fully of their intention.”
The Asia-Pacific is the common home of countries in the region. Our region’s peace and stability hinges on trust, solidarity, and cooperation and requires that we, as members of this region, take our security firmly in our own hands.”
Austin said it was too early to discuss what specific assets the US would put in the new EDCA locations and military sites.
Based on reports, US security experts said that the Philippines is a potential location for rockets, missiles, and artillery systems to counter any external forces in the Philippines’ territorial waters.
In a related development, the country expressed its confidence in its alliance with the United States despite reports of leaks of highly classified intelligence information from the Pentagon, showing that the US could be spying on its allies, including the Philippines.
In a joint press conference on the PH-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, Blinken, Austin, Manalo, and Galvez were asked to comment on the series of documents, purportedly containing classified information about the Ukraine war, Russia, and allies of the United States, that were apparently leaked online.
Some of the documents first appeared on the social media platform Discord as early as January, but US intelligence officials reportedly only knew about the existence of the documents this April.
However, Manalo expressed confidence in the Philippines’ alliance with the United States despite allegations that Washington could be “spying” on its key allies, such as South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel.
Unlike his predecessor, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has sought to strengthen ties with the United States.
Marcos assured China, however, that the new EDCA sites in the country would not be used in aggressive and offensive actions, but to improve the nation’s defenses and disaster response.
Nearly 18,000 troops are taking part in the annual exercises dubbed Balikatan, or “shoulder to shoulder” in Filipino, which for the first time will include a live-fire drill in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely.
In a press briefing Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said that President Marcos had been invited to witness the military exercises. He said he was not sure if the President would accept the invitation but said he “showed great interest” in the live-fire drill.
The drills follow Monday’s conclusion of a three-day Chinese military exercise that simulated targeted strikes and a blockade of self-ruled, democratic Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.
In rare joint talks in Washington with their Philippine counterparts, Blinken and Austin discussed a deal reached last week for US forces to use a growing number of bases in the Philippines, including one near Taiwan.
Blinken said the United States affirmed its “unwavering commitment to standing with the Philippines against any intimidation or coercion, including in the South China Sea.”
The Mutual Defense Treaty, signed in 1951 after the Philippines’ independence from Washington, “applies to armed attacks on either of our armed forces, our aircraft or public vessels, including our Coast Guard, anywhere in the South China Sea,” Austin told a joint news conference.
The United States and the Philippines plan new exercises in the South China Sea later in the year that will include other countries, Austin said.
He said the United States is allocating more than $100 million to the bases in the current fiscal year and that the United States would provide new military equipment to the Philippines including drones and air defenses.
Asked if the Philippines worried about China’s reaction, Galvez said, “We don’t expect any violent reaction considering that this exercise is intended for our collective defense.”
News of the expanded base access had prompted China to accuse the United States of “endangering regional peace and stability.”
“Countries in this part of the world must uphold strategic independence and firmly resist the Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation,” China’s ambassador to Manila, Huang Xilian, said last week.
This year’s Balikatan will be joined by 12,200 US troops and 5,400 Filipino soldiers. Four major events are set: the command post exercise, the cyber-defense exercise, the field training exercise, and the humanitarian civic assistance (HCA) exercise.
Balikatan 2023 spokesperson Col. Michael Logico said this will be the first time that the Philippines and the US would engage in live-fire exercises at sea.
He also said that fishermen who are affected by the exercises would receive assistance.
Also on Wednesday, the AFP said military bases under the EDCA may be used by Manila and Washington for “emergency situations” aside from disaster relief.
Aguilar said it is the Philippines that will dictate how the bases are used, but added that during emergency situations, they will be available for combined use of US and Filipino forces.
“These properties will remain under our possession, our own properties, facilities, and everything that will be brought inside these facilities will be coordinated and cleared with the AFP,” he said.
The official noted that the Philippines stands to benefit from the implementation of this agreement, as these facilities will one day be turned over to the country’s military.
The US government has so far poured $82 million into the five existing EDCA sites. The US Defense Department earlier said it would “expand funding” for infrastructure investments on this.
Meanwhile, Senator JV Ejercito said the Philippines and its allies must expand existing defense cooperation programs to counter Chinese encroachment in the West Philippine Sea.
He said the Philippines’ ongoing joint military exercises with the United States, as well as recent talks on the formation of a new defense pact with Japan, are crucial steps in achieving regional stability amid China’s growing military aggression.
“Japan, Australia, and the United States, as well as countries that have territorial claims in the South China Sea, have to band together so that we can put up a respectable force against China’s aggression,” the senator said.