THE voice from Washington, from the top diplomat of the Trump administration, underlining the watertight alliance between the United States and the Philippines, raises confidence, given the incessant sorties into the West Philippine Sea by foreign vessels.
We heard the voice of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he discussed with Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo China’s “dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea” when the former underlined the “ironclad” US defense commitment to the Philippines, an ally under the Mutual Defense Pact signed in 1951 in Washington, DC.
We also heard China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning when he said China’s activities in the waters were “reasonable, lawful and beyond reproach.”
The spokesperson said the United States was “not a party” to the South China Sea dispute, and had “no right to intervene” in maritime issues between China and the Philippines.
“Military cooperation between the US and the Philippines should not undermine China’s sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, nor should it be used to endorse the illegal claims of the Philippines,” Mao said.
We find that fatuous, and that is a euphemism.
Is it illegal to have Philippine vessels within Manila’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone? On the port side, is it legal for foreign vessels without Manila’s clearance and permission to be in Philippine waters and harass local vessels?
Was it legal to declare on Aug 28, 2023 a 10-dash line, an upgrade from the nine-dash line, which suggests island attribution to its existing claims concerning what it calls historical rights to the maritime area of the South China Sea?
Was it legal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS for China to have its vessels, repeatedly, blocking, using a green, military grade laser against BRP Malapascua in 2023, and harassing Philppine vessels on humanitarian missions within Manila’s sovereign territory?
Is not China a signatory to UNCLOS, the treaty that establishes rules for the oceans and seas which it signed in 1982 and ratified in 1996, which boosted its conclusion and entry-into-force?
The UNCLOS is an international treaty that governs the rights and duties of states in the ocean and defines the geographic jurisdictions of coastal states.
Observers have seen China’s incremental expansion and bold territorial claims in the South China Sea over the past 20 years have raised global concerns.
Each year, 3.4 trillion dollars of trade goods are shipped through the strategic international sea lane SCS, and over 80 percent of crude oil destined for Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea transit this area.
The US has enforced international law under provisions of the UNCLOS through routine operations in the SCS by US Navy/Coast Guard ships and US Navy/Air Force aircraft Freedom of Navigation operations.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz earlier met at the White House to reaffirm the long-lasting alliance between Manila and Washington.
We hold the hope that security engagements between the Philippines and the United States will continue to be guaranteed.