Sixteen European countries are supporting the Philippines in asserting its sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea, a joint statement they issued said Tuesday.
This was as the world commemorates this month Manila’s victory against Beijing relative to the South China Sea dispute through the 2016 Arbitral Ruling rendered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday said it would shift its efforts from internal security operations (ISO) to external ones (ESO) with more aerial and maritime patrols.
“With our substantial gains on ISO, a shift to external security operations (ESO) is (on) the horizon as we strengthen our security posture with the increased conduct of aerial and surface maritime patrols through our naval and air force air assets and ground forces,” the AFP said in a statement.
The deployment of additional surface patrol ships “increased the AFP’s presence in the KIG to about 90 percent of the time. This is a dramatic increase from the baseline of 30 percent in 2022,” it added.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden backed the Philippines’ territorial integrity in the busy waterway.
This is as China continues its rejection of the historic arbitral ruling over the territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
The embassies of the 16 countries cited the significance of the ruling, which was based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), by saying it is “a significant milestone” in contributing to the maintenance of rules-based order and the settling of dispute.
According to them, it is “legally binding upon the parties to those proceedings, and a useful basis for peacefully resolving disputes between parties.”
“The EU (European Union) reiterates the fundamental importance of upholding the freedoms, rights, and duties established in UNCLOS, in particular the freedoms of navigation and overflight,” the European nations, which are also members of the EU, said.
Despite the ruling, China defies the PCA’s arbitral ruling over the South China Sea which invalidated Beijing’s unilateral nine-dash line claim.
When the Philippines filed an arbitration case against China over the West Philippine Sea, a part of the bigger South China Sea, China refused to participate.
The 26 countries further said they are committed to secure, free, and open maritime supply routes in the Indo-Pacific, in full compliance with international and “in the interest of all.” Vince Lopez
Several countries have expressed concern over an open Indo-Pacific maritime route amid reports of maritime harassment, including those committed by Chinese personnel against Filipinos.
“The EU supports the swift conclusion of talks aiming at an effective Code of Conduct between ASEAN and China that is fully compatible with UNCLOS and also respects the rights of third parties,” the 16 European nations added.
The increase in AFP’s presence in the area allowed the monitoring of sea lines of communications (SLOCs) that are complemented by the AFP’s littoral monitoring stations/detachments (LMS/LMDs) to detect and monitor foreign ships, track, and subject them to interdiction operations.
The AFP also added that a redeployment of naval special operations units and the Philippine Marines was done with Marine Battalion Landing Team 9’s transfer to Palawan last month.
It also added that the presence of the 4th Marine Brigade in the northern frontier is part of the ESO. The AFP noted that the employment of air surveillance radar systems would continue.
“We have improved our capabilities and our presence in strategic
locations with the effective presence of our maritime detachments in the Batanes Group of Islands, KIG, and Tawi-Tawi. The AFP facilitated the completion of personnel barracks in Likas, Parola, and Kota Stations in the KIG,” it added.
These efforts by the AFP are complemented by partnering with the global and regional allied countries that will allow it to leverage its capabilities through information sharing, subject matter expert exchange, and joint and combined maritime exercises.
“All of these are with the help of an interagency-wholistic effort through the National Task Force – West Philippine Sea,” the AFP said.