Philippines, US stage joint sail in SCS after China’s ‘inhumane’ actions

THE Philippines and the US held a joint sail in the contested South China Sea (SCS) on Monday, Manila’s armed forces said on Tuesday, just days after China’s use of water cannon injured three Filipino fishermen — an act the Defense chief described as “inhumane.”

In a statement on Tuesday, the Philippine armed forces said three A-29B Super Tucano turboprop warplanes and FA-50 fighter jets joined the drills alongside the Philippines’ missile frigate BRP Miguel Malvar, while the US deployed its guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls, a maritime surveillance plane and a helicopter.

The joint sails demonstrated the “shared commitment of the Philippines and the US to uphold a rules-based Indo-Pacific region,” the Philippine military said in a statement.

The joint naval drills came shortly after the Philippines accused China’s coast guard of endangering the lives of Filipino fishers near a contested maritime feature in the South China Sea. This also followed the 9^th Philippine-US Maritime Cooperative Activity, held just last Dec. 9-10.

China’s coast guard fired water cannons at Philippine fishing boats at Sabina Shoal on Friday, injuring three Filipino fishermen and damaging two vessels, Manila’s coast guard said.

On Monday, the US voiced support for the Philippines, condemning what it called Beijing’s increasingly coercive behavior in the waterway.

Manila and Washington are long-time allies, with their security ties anchored on a 1950s Mutual Defense Treaty that obligates both nations to come to each other’s aid in case of an armed attack in the Pacific, including the South China Sea.

Philippine officials have described China’s activities as coercive and escalatory, while Beijing maintains that its patrols and enforcement measures are legitimate actions to defend its sovereignty.

‘DANGEROUS AND INHUMANE’
In a separate statement on Tuesday, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. said the actions taken by Chinese maritime forces against Filipino fishermen at Escoda were “dangerous and inhumane,” adding that Manila has “indisputable sovereignty” over the feature.

Sabina Shoal lies about 150 kilometers west of the Philippine province of Palawan.

China asserts rights over nearly the entire South China Sea through its so-called nine-dash line, a claim that overlaps with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

A United Nations-backed arbitration ruling in 2016 voided China’s sweeping claims, though Beijing has refused to recognize the decision.

“China’s claims of indisputable sovereignty over the feature are illegal and unfounded,” Mr. Teodoro said.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.

Its foreign ministry on Monday said the measures taken were necessary to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

“Water cannoning, aggressive maneuvering and the cutting of anchor lines resulting in physical injuries of Filipino civilians are wholly inconsistent with the duty of all States to ensure the safety of human lives,” said Mr. Teodoro.

The Philippines will keep supporting Filipino fishermen catching fish in the South China Sea, he added, saying the government would be taking “appropriate diplomatic and legal measures” after the Friday incident.

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, through Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro, earlier said the Philippine government would deliver a demarche to the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Monday.

The Southeast Asian nation has increasingly leaned on multinational cooperation to shore up its military capabilities, and it has held multiple joint drills with allies throughout the country as part of its efforts to boost its defenses amid increasing Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio