(Manila) The United States on Friday renewed its call for China to end its aggressive actions in the South China Sea, saying a broader network of security alliances has emerged to preserve the rule of law in the disputed waters.
Washington’s top diplomat in Manila was joined by her counterparts from key Western and Asian allies, including Japan and Australia, at a forum in Manila to express concern over escalating hostilities in disputed waters, particularly between China and the Philippines. They pledged to help defend a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.
In the worst confrontation yet, Chinese coast guard personnel armed with knives, spears and an axe aboard motorboats repeatedly rammed two Philippine Navy supply ships on June 17 during a chaotic clash at the disputed Second Thomas Reef. Filipino sailors were injured and seven Philippine Navy rifles were seized.
China and the Philippines have blamed each other for the incident, the latest in a series of high-seas clashes since last year. In addition to China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have been locked in decades-long territorial disputes.
“With the support of an increasingly interconnected network of alliances and partnerships, the United States continues to urge the [Chine] to cease the increasing and dangerous harassment of Philippine vessels operating legally in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone,” U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson told the forum.
China should “stop interfering with the freedom of navigation and overflight of all states operating lawfully in the region,” Mr.me Carlson: The number of condemnations from the international community is growing and demonstrates our shared determination to support international rules and norms that benefit all.”
The Biden administration has strengthened a set of security alliances in Asia as a countermeasure against an increasingly assertive China. This is consistent with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos’ efforts to bolster his country’s territorial defense. Beijing has opposed Washington’s alliance-building and has repeatedly pledged to defend its territorial interests at all costs.
The forum marked the anniversary of a 2016 ruling by an arbitration panel in The Hague, Netherlands, that invalidated China’s vast claims in the South China Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Beijing refused to join the arbitration initiated by the Philippines, rejected the ruling and continues to defy it.
Dozens of protesters held a separate rally Friday to mark the anniversary of the arbitration decision in the Quezon suburb, waving small Philippine flags and holding up signs reading: “China out!” and “Long live the arbitration victory.”
Australian Ambassador HK Yu said the June 17 incident on the reef was “an escalation of deeply worrying behaviour by China… that threatens lives and creates miscalculations and escalation.”
“The Philippines is not alone in this challenge,” Mr Yu said. “I can tell you, you can count on Australia.”
“As allies, partners and friends, we stand united in navigating these uncertain waters and uphold the fundamental principles that protect our shared waters,” Japanese Ambassador Kazuya Endo said at the forum attended by Manila-based diplomats and senior Philippine security officials.
Japan, which has its own dispute with China in the East China Sea, has provided patrol ships and a coastal radar system to strengthen the Philippines’ ability to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea.
Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano called for international support to pressure China to comply with the arbitration ruling. Manila, he said, would seek a peaceful resolution to the disputes but will continue “to stand firm and push back against coercion, interference, malign influence and other tactics” that seek to endanger the country.