The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), backed by two Australian government officials, warned that China’s aggressive posturing in the SCS, East China Sea, and South Pacific indicates that it is likely to pursue further land reclamation in disputed areas.
Speaking to journalists from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam, ASPI Senior Analyst Dr. Fitriani (Fitri Bintang Timur) said their call comes amid China’s accelerating military buildup and growing naval fleet.
“They can just keep doing the things they want, which is certifying their control over increasingly excessive territorial claims,” the official said.
“What’s needed now is a form of strategic foresight and pre-emptive resilience. In short, the answer isn’t only ‘more patrols’ by partners but smarter integration of security, technology, and deterrence policy,” Fitriani said.
The two Australian officials, who requested anonymity, supported Fitriani’s assessment, noting that China’s expanding military strength has significantly altered the regional security landscape.
Asked if China would pursue more land reclamations in the South China Sea, one of the Australian government officials said: “It’s very possible.”
“The behavior that we’re seeing from China, they continue to push the envelope everywhere along their maritime border, including in the South China Sea,” the official said.
He added that Beijing would likely proceed with its current assertive actions to cement its territorial claims than impose an Air Defense Identification Zone, or ADIZ, as some Asian countries have feared, because such a move could stir more unnecessary disagreements.
They pointed out that while much of the attention has centered on Beijing’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), China has also been projecting its military presence closer to Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea.
“It doesn’t get reported on very much, but both Korea and Japan had separate disagreements going with China at the moment where China has started putting many floating structures in the Yellow Sea between Korea and China, and then also the East China Sea between Japan and China,” one of the officials emphasized.
As this developed, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Sunday hailed the newly signed Philippines–Canada Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA), which he called “long-awaited and long overdue.”
“This new Visiting Forces Agreement is one of the highest expressions of trust between our two countries,” Teodoro said during signing ceremonies in Makati City.
“Our militaries will train together and forge an alliance that goes beyond purely commercial,” he added.
For his part, Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty, who is on his first official visit to Manila, underscored the historic nature of the accord, noting that it is Canada’s first Visiting Forces Agreement in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Today’s signing draws our ships even closer together, but we will not be anchored in place. We will raise our sails, the sails of two proud nations, charting a course toward a more secure and a more prosperous future. This signing is not the end of an effort.” Canada’s defense chief said.
McGuinty said both sides will now work on operationalizing the agreement, which opens opportunities for enhanced training, joint exercises, and interoperability between their armed forces.
The pact with Canada makes it the fifth country to have signed a troop agreement with the Philippines, after the United States, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand.
