DAYS after A Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ship blocked a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel in the West Philippine Sea, the United States again backed Manila while calling on Beijing to stop harassing Filipino vessels in the South China Sea.
In a statement dated April 29 (US time), the US Department of State asked China to cease its provocative acts in the disputed waterway.
“The United States stands with the Philippines in the face of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Coast Guard’s continued infringement upon freedom of navigation in the South China Sea,” the statement said.
“Imagery and video recently published in the media is a stark reminder of PRC harassment and intimidation of Philippine vessels as they undertake routine patrols within their exclusive economic zone. We call upon Beijing to desist from its provocative and unsafe conduct,” it added.
The State Department said the US is closely tracking and monitoring incidents of harassment, as it reaffirmed anew its obligation under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty to come to Manila’s aid should one of the latter’s vessels, aircraft or troops come under attack.
“The United States stands with our Philippine allies in upholding the rules-based international maritime order and reaffirms that an armed attack in the Pacific, which includes the South China Sea, on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft, including those of the Coast Guard, would invoke US mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 US Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty,” the State Department said.
To recall, CCG and PCG vessels nearly collided on April 23 when a CCG vessel went within 50 yards of the BRP Malapascua, a 44-meter multi-role response vessel, while patrolling the waters around Ayungin (Second Thomas Shoal) Shoal.
Ayunin Shoal is home to a small military contingent aboard a rusty World War Two-era US ship that was intentionally grounded in 1999 to reinforce the Philippines’ territorial claims.
In February, the Philippines said a Chinese ship had directed a “military-grade laser” at one of its resupply vessels.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has said the CCG vessel’s maneuver exposed the PCG vessel’s crew to serious danger.
A similar incident took place on April 19 when two CCG vessels also tried to block BRP Malapascua while it was on its way to Ayungin Shoal.
DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza also labeled the CCG’s maneuvers as totally inconsistent with freedom of navigation as she emphasized that the PCG has the legal right to carry out routine maritime patrols in the country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone.
On Friday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning put the blame on Manila for the April 23 incident which was made public only on Thursday last week. He claimed the PCG vessel intruded into Chinese waters in a “premeditated provocation” designed to “deliberately create friction.”
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea with a “nine-dash line” on maps that stretches more than 1,500 km off its mainland and cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
The nine-dash claim was dismissed in 2016 by the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration which said it has no legal or historical basis, in a case brought by Manila under the administration of then president Benigno Aquino.
The arbitral ruling states that Ayungin Shoal is part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf because it is located within 200 nautical miles of Palawan’s coast.
‘DANGEROUS CONDUCT’
Australia reiterated its call for peace and stability in the South China Sea and respect for the International Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS).
Australian Ambassador to Manila HK Yu also noted the “unprofessional and dangerous conduct” against the PCG in Manila’s own waters.
“Concerned by further reports of unprofessional and dangerous conduct against the Philippines in its exclusive economic zone, Australia reiterates our call for peace, stability and respect for UNCLOS in the South China Sea, a vital international waterway,” the Australian envoy said on Twitter yesterday.
Canberra is one of Manila’s closest allies in the region and has supported its stance against repeated Chinese encroachment in its EEZ.
ARMED ATTACK
Sen. Francis Tolentino said he will push to widen the scope of the definition of an “armed attack” in the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).
“If I were to make amendments in the MDT, I will include that ‘an armed attack on either of the parties is deemed to include, among others, an armed attack on the metropolitan territory),” said Tolentino, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations vice chairman.
He said another recommendation would be to include cybersecurity attack on critical government infrastructure as a form of armed attack.
He took exception to a statement made by Sen. Imee Marcos who said that President Marcos’ trip to Washington to meet with US President Joe Biden will be a good chance to discuss the renewal of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement under new terms and conditions.
Sen. Marcos said among the provisions that should be considered are the payments for the use of Philippine military bases by the US forces, protection of women from prostitution, and the Filipino community’s benefits from the presence of US troops.
EDCA, signed by the US and the Philippines in 2014, states that the agreement shall have an initial term of 10 years, and thereafter, shall continue to be in force unless terminated by either party by giving one year’s written notice through diplomatic channels.
Tolentino said there was nothing in the EDCA agreement on compensating the Philippines for the use of US troops of its facilities. He said there is also no provision prohibiting the Philippines from asking compensation. — With Raymond Africa and Reuters
