Military commander: Harassment escalating
THE Armed Forces is preparing for an escalation of Chinese harassment activities in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea, including boarding and searching of Philippine vessels.
But the military will not let the Chinese to take such actions, said Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos, commander of the AFP Western Command based in Puerto Princesa City.
“It’s already escalating. As I said, it started with laser (pointing), then we’re now at water cannon(ing). We expect more coercive actions from China, short of armed attack,” Carlos told a television interview on Wednesday night.
A Chinese Coast Guard vessel pointed a military grade laser light on a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel in February during a resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal, causing temporary blindness of the crew members.
The Chinese have also fired water cannons at PCG vessels and military-chartered supply boats during similar resupply missions at Ayungin Shoal, with the latest on Sunday.
There were two instances when the Chinese rammed Philippine vessels, including supply boat Unaizah Mae 1 which brought Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner, Carlos, and supplies to the shoal last Sunday.
Carlos said the “bumping,” not “ramming,” is the proper term to use because the vessels involved just “gently” collided with each other. He said that while bumping can lead to damage of vessels, there is no intent do sink the other vessel.
“But if it’s really ramming, meaning you are at high speed and hit the other ship, intending to inflict severe damage on the other side and possibly sink the other vessel,” said Carlos.
Carlos said ramming of Philippine vessels is one of the actions that China may take to escalate its harassment activities in the West Philippine Sea.
“The next, after the water cannon(ing), is probably ramming and also they will attempt board our vessel which is something that we will not allow them to do,” he said.
“So these are short of armed attack because they know that it (armed attack) will trigger our Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the United States,” he also said.
Under the 1951 MDT, the two countries recognize that an armed attack in the Pacific area on either of the parties “would be dangerous to its own peace and safety,” thus they would act to meet the “common dangers” in accordance with constitutional processes.
An attack “is deemed to include an armed attack on the metropolitan territory of either of the parties, or on the Island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific Ocean, its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific.”
“As to the actions they may take to escalate, it’s ramming with an intent to sink or severely damage our vessel… If they will escalate, another action that they can take is to board and search our vessel,” said Carlos.
“We prepared for everything… I will not discuss operational details but we will not let that happen. That’s for sure, we will not let that happen, we will not let them board our vessel when we are doing legitimate operations in our exclusive economic zone,” said Carlos.
WAR-GAMING
Carlos said he does not know if the Chinese will go to the extent of boarding and searching Philippine vessels but “it’s in our list of possible actions of the other side.”
“We’re brainstorming this, we are war-gaming this and we are preparing for any contingency that will happen on the ground,” he said.
Carlos said the Philippine Coast Guard will not also allow their vessels to be boarded by the Chinese.
“We will repel boarders,” Carlos said.
‘INTELLECTUAL DISCUSSION’
Brawner sought to downplay reports that Chinese ambassador Huang Xilian pointed finger at him during a recent conversation about the West Philippine Sea dispute.
Sen. JV Ejercito earlier said Huang confronted Brawner and pointed a finger at the latter.
He said Huang should promote a “line of diplomacy” between China and Philippines but the latter is “very hostile” and should thus be recalled by Beijing.
Brawner said, “I told ambassador Huang when we saw each other that is not your territory.
In fact, I said, ‘that is our exclusive economic zone so please do not block our resupply ships.’”
Brawner also said in a radio interview on Wednesday night that he told Huang not to block the Christmas convoy planned of the “Atin Ito” coalition in the West Philippine Sea last Sunday. The mother ship of the convoy returned to mainland Palawan due to Chinese shadowing.
Brawner said Huang insisted that West Philippine Sea is part of Chinese territory.
“He said ‘you are provoking us’ so I told him, ‘no, you are the one provoking us.’ Anyway, that’s how our discussion went… He was stressing a point, I was also stressing a point,” said Brawner.
On whether he was bullied by Huang, Brawner said, “Not really. It was an intellectual discussion between the two of us so they were asserting their stand and I was also asserting the Philippine stand.”
On suggestions to allow the US military to join resupply missions to Ayungin, Brawner said, “There are suggestions about that but I think it’s not yet needed.”
“We can do it on our own,” he said.
‘PROVATIVE BEHAVIOR’
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año his American and Japanese counterparts urged China to end its “provocative behavior” in the West Philippine Sea.
Año, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Japanese National Security Advisor Akiba Takeo talked over the phone on Wednesday, and reaffirmed their commitment to freedom of navigation and international law not only in the South China Sea but also in the East China Sea.
A readout issued by the White House said the three national security officials also reiterated their commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
“They expressed concerns about the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) recent dangerous and unlawful conduct near Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) and Scarborough Reef (Panatag Shoal/Bajo de Masinloc),” the readout said.
It said the three officials also “called on the PRC to abide by the legally binding July 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling and desist from further provocative behavior,” it also said.
The 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration invalidated China’s excessive claim in the South China and affirmed the Philippine rights to its 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
It said Sullivan reiterated US “ironclad alliance commitments to both Japan and the Philippines.”
The readout said the three officials “underscored the importance of enhancing trilateral cooperation” and vowed to implement initiatives they discussed during a meeting in June.
These initiatives, the readout said, included trilateral efforts to enhance defense and security capabilities, particularly on cyber security; maintain a free and open maritime order; enhance cooperation on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief; and maintain a free and equitable economic order.
It said the three also “reaffirmed their decision to conduct close trilateral coordination over the coming months to advance their shared interests in a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
ILLEGAL MANEUVERS
In a statement, the National Security Council (NSC) said Año briefed his counterparts on the recent “dangerous and illegal maneuvers” of China in the West Philippine Sea.
It was referring to last Sunday’s harassment of supply Unaizah Mae 1 and M/L Kalayaan and Philippine Coast Guard vessels BRP Cabra and Sindangan during the resupply mission.
M/L Kalayaan sustained severe damage on its engine due to water cannoning and was not able to complete its mission. BRP Cabra also incurred damage on its mast but it did not affect its navigational capability.
Unaizah Mae 1 was also subjected to dangerous maneuver, water cannoning and was even hit by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel. Despite the harassment, it managed to bring Brawner, Carlos, other military officials and the supplies needed by the troops at Ayungin Shoal.
The incident came a day after CCG vessels fired water cannons at two vessels of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources – BRP Datu Bankaw and BRP Datu Tamblot – during a humanitarian and support mission to Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal.
Año thanked his counterparts for their “unwavering support to the Philippines’ lawful exercise of maritime rights within its EEZ in accordance with international law, particularly the July 2016 Arbitral Award.”
The NSC statement said Año emphasized President Marcos Jr’s pronouncement that the Philippine government “remains undeterred in its determination to defend and protect the nation’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.”
It said the three discussed trilateral efforts to enhance cooperation on maritime security, through the conduct of joint patrols and capacity-building on maritime domain awareness, among others; humanitarian assistance and disaster relief; cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection; and economic security.
They also agreed to “continue and sustain coordination to ensure the implementation of these trilateral initiatives in the next few months,” the NSC statement added.
TEODORO-AUSTIN MEET
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke on the phone on Wednesday and discussed the latest “coercive and unlawful l actions” of China.
In a readout, the US defense department said Austin “expressed U.S. support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights in accordance with international law, emphasizing that the United States’ commitment to the Philippines remains ironclad.”
It said Austin reiterated that the Mutual Defense Treaty between US and Philippines “extends to both countries’ armed forces, public vessels, and aircraft – including those of their respective Coast Guards – anywhere in the Pacific, to include the South China Sea.”
“He (Austin) commended the professionalism of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the face of unlawful behavior,” it added.
The readout said the defense chiefs highlighted the Philippine’s recent bilateral maritime activities with US and Australia in the West Philippine Sea, referring to last month’s joint patrols.
“They agreed to bolster bilateral and multilateral coordination with other likeminded partners to enhance interoperability and accelerate the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” it said.
“They also reaffirmed their countries’ shared vision of a free and open region grounded in transparency, the rule of law, respect for sovereignty, and the peaceful resolution of disputes,” the readout added.
