China frowns on S. China Sea ‘accusations’ as Balikatan uses Javelins
The Philippines and the United States must focus on four separate areas to modernize their military alliance, starting with a common understanding of their policies and priorities, Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Thursday.
This developed as US and Philippine troops held anti-tank missile exercises on Thursday, as the allies stepped up their largest war games, which have already drawn China’s ire.
Galvez said the focus would pave the way for defense guidelines that govern how equipment and military capabilities are upgraded to respond to threats, he said after meeting with his American counterpart in Washington DC.
He said the second area must enhance the countries’ cyber defenses to protect critical infrastructure and sensitive information.
The third area, Galvez said, required increased intelligence sharing and cooperation to address challenges facing both countries.
“Fourth, we must improve interoperability between our forces to better coordinate and conduct joint activities,” he said.
Galvez said the defense alliance is critical to assuring the safety and security of the Filipinos.
The increased military cooperation between the two countries comes as China pushes its territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea with an aggressive military buildup.
Meanwhile, Beijing on Thursday denounced as false the accusations made by the Philippines and the United States, that it is conducting illegal activities in the South China Sea, particularly its reclamation activities and militarization of the disputed waters.
Wang Wenbin, the spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said there was nothing wrong with China’s activities, and reiterated Beijing’s claim to own most of the South China Sea, despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that junked such claims.
Beijing, Wang said, “has indisputable sovereignty” over the South China Sea islands and its adjacent waters.
Under a plume of black smoke, three cars parked on scrubland were crushed by missiles fired from about 600 meters (0.37 miles) away by three soldiers at a military base in the north of the Philippines.
The annual Balikatan maneuvers follow 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.
“As you’re recently witnessing, there are some irresponsible behaviors that are ongoing and we should call those irresponsible behaviors out,” US Army Pacific Commander General Charles Flynn told reporters at the site, without elaborating further.
Flynn added that the war games were an important show of “collective commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific”.
Philippine Army chief Lieutenant-General Romeo Brawner praised the “effectivity” of Javelins against Russian tanks and armor in the Ukraine war, adding Manila plans to acquire the weapon in the future.
“We want to also bring that capability to the Philippine Army in order for us to be able to bolster our defensive posture and be able to defend our territory,” Brawner added.
The two allies also plan to hold new exercises in the South China Sea later in the year that will include other countries, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced in Washington on Tuesday, after a meeting with the Philippine defense and foreign secretaries and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The exercise aims to boost Manila’s military capability while serving as a US show of support for its Asian ally amid China’s growing assertiveness.
Nearly 18,000 troops are taking part in the annual exercises, which for the first time will include the sinking by live fire of a decommissioned Philippine navy warship in the South China Sea, waters that Beijing claims almost entirely.
It follows a deal announced last week for US forces to use an increased number of bases in the Philippines, including one near Taiwan.
Wang said the recent 15-page joint statement of the Philippines and the US “misrepresents and discredits the legitimate and lawful maritime law enforcement activities of the Chinese side and even makes false accusations against China.”
He was referring to the statement released by the two countries following the high-level talks between Filipino and American officials in Washington, D.C., which covered several areas of the Philippine-US partnership.
“We strongly oppose this,” Wang said, in a press conference on Thursday night.
In the statement, the defense and foreign secretaries of both countries “underlined their strong objections to [China’s] unlawful maritime claims, the militarization of reclaimed features, and threatening and provocative activities in the South China Sea.”
The officials also urged Beijing to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, and the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea.
Wang, on the other hand, said the 2016 arbitral award violated UNCLOS and said the ruling was “illegal, null and void.”
China had refused to participate in the arbitration proceedings initiated by the Philippines.
The award affirmed the Philippines’ claims over what it declared as part of its expanded economic zone in the West Philippine Sea, a part of the bigger South China Sea that China completely claims.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, said China’s bullying of not only Taiwan but the Philippines, and its daily disregard for Philippine sovereignty were “alarming.”
She also branded as worrisome the escalating tensions in Taiwan, while saying the Philippines should not be drawn into a possible war.
“We have to uphold the Constitutional mandate of peace as the instrument of national policy or the abandonment of war as an instrument of national policy,” she said.
“We need the international community to help de-escalate and cool the tensions between the US and China, especially around Taiwan,” he added.
She underscored the need to establish a strong coalition with the Philippines’ neighboring countries to bring down the tension in the region.
The opposition senator also cited the need to review the country’s national policy toward China.
“Her incessant incursions in the West Philippine Sea have threatened the livelihood and safety of Filipinos,” Hontiveros said. “We should have policies that reflect our resistance against her belligerent actions.”
“Should China intensify actions in Taiwan, we should also look into how to safeguard not only the Filipinos living in Taiwan but also those who are in the northern parts of the Philippines,” she said.
Senator Robin Padilla, on the other hand, said he is heartened by the resumption of talks this May between the Philippines and China for joint oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Thursday reported a significant increase in its Western Command’s maritime and aerial patrols in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in the first quarter of this year.
“The AFP Wescom reports a substantial increase in its operational tempo in the WPS for the first quarter of CY2023. This means that more government ships are staying out at sea for longer periods of time and government aircraft flights over WPS have become more frequent,” Wescom chief Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos, said.
The boost in Wescom’s patrol efforts came in wake of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s announcement that not a square inch of Philippine territory will be lost under his watch.
“Together with our partner agencies – the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police Maritime Group and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Philippine Navy established a strong maritime presence in the area with the sustained deployments of their respective ships in WPS, especially at the vicinity of Pagasa Island,” Carlos said.
These efforts are meant to counter the increased presence of suspected foreign militia vessels in the area, the Wescom chief said.
Wescom also increased the frequency of maritime air patrols to closely monitor the activities of foreign vessels in the WPS and the developments on foreign occupied features in the area.