The Philippines says it is under pressure from China to give up its claims in the South China Sea

By John Victor D. Ordoñez, A reporter

CANBERRA – China is putting a lot of pressure on the Philippines to give up its sovereignty rights in the South China Sea, Defense Secretary Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo “Gibo” C. Teodoro, Jr. said. on Tuesday after a meeting with his Australian counterpart in Canberra.

“What we are seeing is an increase in Beijing’s demand that we give up our sovereign rights in the region,” he said, adding that the Philippines is “a victim of Chinese aggression.”

China and the Philippines have sparred several times this year over disputed areas in the South China Sea, including the Scarborough Shoal, one of Asia’s most contested areas.

The meeting of Mr. Teodoro and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles, who is the fifth since August 2023, shows the growth of security relations between these countries, both of which expressed concern about the Chinese activity in the areas of South China that the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries say. .

Two nations signed a strategic partnership in September 2023 again held their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea a few months later. Philippines again joined the war games in Australia this year for the first time.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 billion in annual maritime trade, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 ruled that China’s claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing rejected.

Mr. Teodoro said China’s claims and behavior are against international law, and defense agreements with allies such as Australia are an important way to prevent Chinese intrusion.

“Although they (China) say they are working under international law, everyone knows that what they are doing is against the principles of international law,” he said. “The biggest proof of this is that no one has ever supported their actions or activities.”

In addition to close ties with countries including Australia and the US, the Philippines plans to spend at least $33 billion on new weapons including advanced fighter jets and medium-range missiles.

Mr. Marles said Australia wants to work closely with the Philippine defense industry and will send an engineering inspection team to the country early next year.

Meanwhile, the Philippine and US Coast Guards are holding simulation exercises on maritime law enforcement, border security and illegal fishing as part of their efforts to ensure peace and stability in the region, said the US Embassy in Manila.

In a statement, the embassy said the two coast guards held a maritime law workshop in Bataan in the northern Philippines from November 5 to 7 that had participants from maritime law enforcement agencies from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

It said 30 delegates participated in a scenario-based simulation aimed at improving maritime compliance.

In a briefing, Deputy Director of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Captain Noriel P. Ramos said the area was used “to discuss and cooperate with maritime law enforcement efforts for regional stability to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

This comes amid heightened tensions between the Philippines and China as Beijing continues to block shipping at Second Thomas Shoal, where Manila has several troops stationed on a World War II-era ship it moored in 1999 to bolster its maritime claim.

The PCG has struggled with Chinese encroachment on the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims is almost all of it.

Manila and Beijing have repeatedly clashed in the waters, accusing each other of aggressive behavior involving their ships and harming the marine environment.

PCG chief Admiral Ronnie Gil L. Gavan last week said the PCG will receive 49 new ships by 2028, 40 of which are financed by a French loan worth P25.8 billion and five from Japan, to strengthen the circulation in the water.

U.S. Embassy Deputy Director Luke Bruns said at the workshop that the exercises and exchanges are aimed at increasing “Washington’s cooperation among Southeast Asian partners.”

China’s Foreign Ministry late Sunday published the locations and bases around Scarborough Shoal, asserting its maritime claims.

China has controlled Scarborough, which falls only in the Philippines’ economic zone but is also claimed by several other countries, since 2012 after a coastguard presence there, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.

Meanwhile, the National Maritime Council of the Philippines on Tuesday denied the incidents, saying it was a continuation of China’s “illegal seizure” of the incident in 2012.

“The direct bases established by China near the store have no legal effect or effect,” the statement said. “The Philippines firmly opposes the use of these bases by China and firmly maintains its right to declare appropriate bases in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal).”

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed into law a measure defining Philippine territories within its exclusive economic zone amid China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

The President also vowed to develop the assets of the PCG. China has opposed the law, saying it illegally annexes parts of China’s territorial waters.

The Philippine Senate also passed a bill seeking to establish sea lanes in the Balintang Channel, Celebes and Sulu Seas, among other waterways, to ensure Philippine sovereignty.

“The Philippine Maritime Zones Act is a legitimate exercise of the country’s right to determine and declare its maritime zones, in accordance with international law,” said the country’s maritime council, citing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“The Philippines reiterates that it has always had sovereignty and jurisdiction over the Bajo de Masinloc and that its maritime territories are in accordance with international law and do not interfere with the sovereignty or jurisdiction of other states,” it added.