NATIONAL Security Adviser Eduardo Año yesterday rejected China’s claim that the Philippines stirred up trouble in the South China by conducting a joint air patrol with United States in the area last Monday.
Año, also the chairman of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, said the conduct of the air patrol is within the Philippines’ rights.
On Monday, three FA-50 fighter jets from Philippine Air Force and a B-52H bomber aircraft from the US Pacific Air Forces patrolled the country’s airspace in the West Philippine Sea, starting from west of Ilocos Sur up to the Mindoro Strait.
“The Philippines rejects China’s assertion that joint patrols with US forces in the West Philippine Sea constitute stirring up trouble,” Año said in a statement.
“Our engagements with the United States are well within our rights as a sovereign and independent nation, aimed at promoting maritime security and upholding international law. We reject any assertion from other countries that seeks to undermine our legal and legitimate activities,” he added.
The air patrol is a follow-up to the third maritime cooperative activity (MCA) conducted by the two sides in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea on February 9. The two other MCAs were conducted in January and November last year.
China’s Southern Theater Command on Monday said the Philippines has “stirred up trouble” in the South China Sea by conducting the joint air patrol with “extraterritorial countries” and then openly hyping it up. It also said it closely monitored the joint patrol and its troops “maintained a high degree of vigilance to resolutely defend national sovereignty.”
Año said the joint patrol is a “lawful and routine exercise aimed at enhancing interoperability between allied forces and promoting regional peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are locked in a territorial dispute over the South China Sea. China has harassed Philippine vessels at Ayungin Shoal and Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea in recent months.
“The joint patrols conducted inside Philippine territory serve the purpose of enhancing maritime security, promoting regional stability, and upholding international law. These patrols help deter illegal activities, ensure freedom of navigation, and contribute to the protection of shared interests in the region,” said Año.
Año also noted the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) “recognizes the sovereign rights of coastal states.”
UNCLOS provides coastal states like the Philippines a 200-nautiucal mile exclusive economic zone.
“We urge China to respect the sovereign rights of the Philippines conducted within its territory consistent with its national interests and international law,” said Año.
“Adherence to international norms is essential to the peaceful coexistence of neighboring states,” he also said.
