Global Courant 2023-04-27 16:21:32
To support Beijing’s claim, hundreds of Chinese coastguards and other vessels patrol the waters, swarming reefs and harassing and attacking fishermen and other boats.
On Saturday, the Philippine Coast Guard identified more than a hundred Chinese ships parked at Whitsun Reef, which the Philippines claims as part of its exclusive economic zone. It ordered the ships to leave, but they were ignored.
US pivot alarms China
Since taking office last June, Mr Marcos has insisted that he will not allow China to flout the rights of the Philippines at sea – unlike his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte who was reluctant to criticize Beijing.
Marcos, meanwhile, has gravitated toward the Philippines’ traditional ally, the United States, as he seeks to bolster their defense ties.
This shift has alarmed China, which has accused Washington of driving a wedge between Beijing and Manila.
Manila in April announced the locations of four more military bases it allows the US to use in addition to the five agreed under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA.
The four additional bases include locations near the South China Sea and another not far from self-governing Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.
China has warned that the expanded Edca could jeopardize regional peace, accusing Washington of having a “zero-sum mentality”.
The largest-ever war games between the Philippines and the United States, which end Friday, have also drawn Beijing’s wrath.
On Wednesday, Marcos saw US and Philippine troops fire missiles at a decommissioned warship representing an enemy ship in the South China Sea, the first time the Allies had conducted such an exercise.
The annual Balikatan maneuvers followed a three-day Chinese military exercise simulating targeted strikes and a blockade around Taiwan.
Marcos said Monday he would discuss the “need to soften the rhetoric” about the South China Sea, Taiwan and North Korea with US President Joe Biden at the White House next week.
“The discussion is heating up. Harsh words are being exchanged and we are concerned,” Marcos told a Philippine broadcaster.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard is trying to draw international attention to China’s activities in the South China Sea.
But with only three patrol vessels to monitor the vast waters, it’s challenging, said Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard spokesman for the West Philippine Sea.
On the high seas, Malabrigo’s captain, Commander Julio Colarina, was defiant.
“The Philippines may be a small nation, but our country has a coast guard with a big heart, willing to serve the Philippine people, and overwhelming loyalty and courage to protect the republic,” he said. AFP
