US President Barack Obama on Tuesday offered the Philippines a warship as part of a $250-million aid package to Southeast Asian allies worried about Chinese efforts to control the South China Sea.
Obama made the pledges aboard the Philippine Navy’s flagship, shortly after arriving in Manila for a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders to also be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“My visit here underscores our shared commitment to the security of the waters of this region and to the freedom of navigation,” Obama said as he announced the assistance.
The offers were aimed at reassuring allies that the United States was committed to maintaining security in the region’s waters, following Chinese artificial island building in parts of the South China Sea.
China claims nearly all of the sea, a strategically vital waterway home to some of the world’s most important shipping routes.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have competing claims to parts of the sea, which is also believed to sit atop vast oil and gas resources.
China’s building of artificial islands close to the Philippines prompted the US to deploy a missile destroyer and B-52 bombers to the area in recent weeks.
China was almost certain to react angrily to Obama’s announcement, as it insists the United States has no right to involve itself in disputes over waters that are far away from US coasts.
China had also repeatedly called for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which starts on Wednesday, to focus exclusively on trade and not be distracted by the rows.
In Beijing just before the US announcement, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin warned the other claimants that China could take control of the islands they occupy.
“The Chinese government has the right and the ability to recover the islands and reefs illegally occupied by neighboring countries,” Liu said.
The Philippines, which has one of the weakest militaries in Asia and is the most vocal critic of China’s actions in the sea, will receive the most support under the US package.
Obama said the Philippines would get a decommissioned US Coast Guard cutter to be turned into a new warship that will “bolster the navy’s ability to conduct long-endurance patrols.”
He said the Philippines would also get a research vessel to help map its territorial waters, while vowing US commitment to defend its longtime ally was “ironclad.”
The Philippines will receive a record $79 million in assistance to bolster maritime security this financial year, the biggest recipient in Southeast Asia, the White House said.
“This will be a significant contribution for our maritime security capability,” Philippine Defense Department spokesman Peter Galvez said.
Vietnam, a former US enemy that has also spoken out strongly against China’s regional assertiveness, will get $40.1 million in aid over this financial year and next, according to a White House statement.
Indonesia, which is not a claimant but has asked China to clarify its position in the sea, will get nearly $20 million to help “protect its maritime areas.”
Malaysia, where Obama will travel to on Friday for another regional political summit, will receive $2.5 million worth of maritime security aid.
The Philippines and Vietnam also signed on Tuesday in Manila a strategic partnership to deepen security ties, cementing an alliance built partly on their concerns over China.
Japan on Tuesday said it will not join the United States-led “freedom of navigation” patrols in the South China Sea aimed at addressing China’s massive reclamation projects in the disputed areas.
Japanese deputy press secretary Koichi Mizushima said Tokyo has “the same position” as the US but it has no plan of sending its own vessels to patrol the contested waters.
“We have no plan to join the operations although we support the US activities because we believe the US is taking a lead role in order to achieve peace and security in the region…Our position is similar—that rule of law should be observed by any country, especially that China has been conducting large-scale reclamation. Even if China says ‘we will stop here,’ we cannot accept that. This changes the status quo,” Mizushima said.
“Japan, the US and the Philippines share the idea that no unilateral change by force or coercion should be allowed,” he added.
During the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposed three principles to address the maritime conflict in the region, namely claims should be based on international law; no country should resort to force or coercion; and any dispute should be resolved in a peaceful manner.
Mizushima underscored the importance of building the defense capability of the Philippines to ensure stability in the region.
The visiting official said Japan and Philippines will firm up a defense equipment supply agreement during a bilateral meeting between Abe and President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting.
“We are working very hard in doing our homework to start the negotiations. Japan has strict rules in exporting defense equipment and in order for us to export or share technology with other countries, we need to have a legal arrangement first,” he said.
While Japan is not a claimant to the South China Sea, it has its own maritime dispute with China over the Senkaku Islands.
The US, on the other hand, has sent two destroyers to patrol the waters being claimed in whole by China and partly by the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, and Taiwan.
Both Japan and the US are strategic partners of the Philippines.