THE military yesterday downplayed China’s remarks that the newly-signed Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between the Philippines and Japan seeks to create a military bloc in the region and may trigger a new Cold War.
He said the RAA “is a manifestation of the desire of both countries to ensure that the rules-based international order will remain in the South China Sea,” said Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea.
The RAA signed last Monday provides the legal framework for the conduct of military exercises. It is similar to the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States and the 2007 Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOFVA) with Australia.
Trinidad said the intent of the agreement “is to ensure that the rules-based international order will remain, that there will be no unilateral changes by any one country.”
After the signing on Monday, Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said the Asia-Pacific region does not need military blocs, still less does it need to provoke confrontation between different camps or small circles that encourage a new Cold War.
The Armed Forces yesterday said it is still early to talk about specific military exercises that will be conducted with Japanese troops under the RAA.
In a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the signing of the RAA was just the “first phase” of the agreement’s implementation.
“It’s still in the first phase so to speak. There are no specifics yet as to the exercises that will be held,” said Padilla.
The agreement needs to be ratified by the Senate before it will come into force. The Senate ratified the VFA and the SOVFA in 1999 and 2012, respectively.
“And as soon as it is signed by the President and IRR (implementing rules and regulations) is given, that’s when we we’ll be having specifics,” said Padilla.
Pressed if the exercises they are eyeing to hold with Japan will be similar to the annual “Balikatan” exercise with US, Padilla said, “This is actually our hope… That is what we envision it to be, because this will be more of military exercises and trainings from both ends.”
