Chinese envoy,AFP chief discuss peace, stability in region

MANILA, Philippines — A day after being summoned to Malacañang over its coast guards’ pointing a military-grade laser light at a Philippine Coast Guard vessel in Ayungin Shoal, Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian met on Wednesday with Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Andres Centino at Camp Aguinaldo where they discussed military “exchange and cooperation as well as sustaining peace and stability in the region.”

“Had a cordial and constructive meeting with CSAFP General Andres C. Centino during my courtesy visit at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City,” Huang said in a Facebook post.

In a statement, the AFP said the meeting was “an activity that has long been scheduled.”

“The discussion focused on military to military exchange and cooperation that will promote peace and stability in the region,” the AFP statement read. “It was a cordial and constructive meeting between the Ambassador and the CSAFP.”

The Philippines – through the Department of Foreign Affairs – protested on Tuesday China’s dangerous maneuvers and use of military-grade laser against a PCG ship on a resupply mission in Ayungin Shoal. The United States said the Chinese action was “provocative and unsafe.”

The DFA said the actions by the Chinese Coast Guard against the BRP Malapascua “constituted a threat to Philippine sovereignty and security as a state, and are infringements of its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone.”

After defending its action, China said the overall situation in Ayungin Shoal was “calm,” highlighting the “professional” and “restrained” way its coast guard dealt with an “intruder.”

Sen. Ronald dela Rosa said the Philippines should make “proportional response” to Chinese provocations in the West Philippine Sea, including by providing allies like the US access to more military camps in the country under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

Dela Rosa made the suggestion as guest speaker at the opening of the two-day Expo Maritime Philippines 2023.

He said such response should not be seen as provoking China, but rather as a demonstration of Filipinos’ resolve to defend their territory.

He also proposed that coast guard vessels be equipped with military-grade laser so they can retaliate if harassed by Chinese with laser light. But he stressed PCG vessels should not be armed with “big guns” as they are not designed for such.

“For me, what we need is proportional response. Laser to laser. It’s bad if it’s only us that get blind – we’ll just be laughed at. If they so wish, let us blind each other. But we’ll not start the fight,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino.

As what it had done in the past, China again appears to have chosen to ignore the Philippines’ diplomatic protest over the Feb. 6 incident in Ayungin Shoal, he said.

“Let’s have more EDCA sites, preferably on Pag-asa Island and in our other territories in the West Philippine Sea,” Dela Rosa said when asked of options available to the Philippines to counter China other than the filing of diplomatic protest.

“Pag-asa Island is our territory, it’s part of Philippine territory. So who can question us if we put the EDCA sites there? We’ve long been provoked by China, we’ve long been tricked. We’re not asking for war, we’re there to defend our territory,” he said.

Sen. Bong Go, vice-chair of the Senate committee on national defense and member of the committee on foreign affairs, has expressed confidence in President Marcos’ capability in upholding the interest of the country.

“I am confident that President Marcos will always promote our rights in the West Philippine Sea and fight for what is ours,” Go said.

Go reiterated his call to ensure that the country’s interests and national security are protected. He echoed former president Rodrigo Duterte, stressing the country’s right over the West Philippine Sea.

“My appeal is to resolve any misunderstanding in a peaceful and diplomatic way. As former president Duterte’s stand — what is ours is ours and we should fight for what is ours,” he said.

‘Gutsy response’

Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto said President Marcos should be commended for his “gutsy response” to China’s latest provocation by summoning the Chinese ambassador to Malacañang.

“Summoning the Chinese ambassador… is a gutsy response to gunboat diplomacy. President Marcos Jr. deserves praise for standing up against Chinese bullying in our own backyard,” Recto said.

“To the world, the President’s move shone a spotlight on the correctness of our position, more powerful than the laser show that the Chinese boats put up to manifest their baseless claim,” Recto said in a statement.

He added Marcos’ move “was worth more than the reams of diplomatic protests that DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) has been regularly lodging against China.”

“The President used a non-confrontational tool that enlightens the civilized world better than lasers,” he said.

He added the Philippines should brace for a “protracted war of nerves” with China, especially with the Philippines seeking greater security ties with the US and other allies.

“They will be throwing tantrums, like a jilted lover who has lost face. They probably felt that they’ve lost a concubine,” Recto said. “There will be more harassments for sure, that is why we should always be prepared for that.”

But Recto stressed that “laser harassment” should not be a basis for the Philippines’ “running to Uncle Sam” to invoke the mutual defense treaty with the US.

“It is a disproportionate response that will escalate things unnecessarily,” he said.

“I put my faith in the President that he has more than enough in his toolkit to respond to Chinese aggression, without need to send an SOS to the Americans,” he said.

“Now that China has finally owned up to its cowardly act of bullying us in our territorial seas, we condemn in the strongest terms these acts of aggression,” Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said.

The Surigao del Norte congressman called on Filipinos “to stand united and rally behind our President as he expresses our frustrations and protests diplomatically. We cannot anymore keep quiet and endure in silence.”

“We have suffered long enough. Our fishermen have been directly victimized. As if it was not enough, they now provoked our military and committed an act of military aggression,” Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs, added.

“We call on our allies to help us in the implementation of the arbitral ruling that gave us territorial jurisdiction over the seas now being occupied illegally and without an iota of basis neither in history nor in International Law, by China,” he added.

Lease deals

Former foreign affairs chief Albert del Rosario said the government should explore possible lease agreements with allies for defense assets.

“Our leadership should also engage with our allies to explore the possibility of operational leases of defense assets, as part of our calibrated options to increase our country’s defense capabilities,” he said.

“This worrisome incident highlights the need to find new ways to build our country’s credible defense posture to deter further bullying in our own waters,” Del Rosario said in a statement, referring to the laser pointing incident on Feb. 6.

The Philippines has long relied on “excess defense articles” or excess equipment donated by other countries.

While excess defense articles remain useful to increase capabilities, he said the costs for reconditioning and maintaining articles become prohibitive over time.

He explained that outright purchases of assets for defense are ideal but come at a high cost considering the country’s limited resources.

“As part of the options of our leadership, may we respectfully suggest the possibility of operational lease of defense assets, which may allow us to obtain newer equipment at lesser cost and with faster delivery time?” del Rosario said. “Operational leases may also give us more possibilities in terms of the types of defense assets to acquire.”

Del Rosario said the present leadership is taking the correct steps in defending the West Philippine Sea by pursuing joint patrols with allies and establishing the additional “Agreed Locations” under EDCA.

For PCG adviser for maritime security Jay Tarriela, continued exposure of China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea could attract wider international attention and eventually force Beijing to sober up.

He cited the Philippine government’s response to a 2021 incident where around 200 Chinese maritime militia vessels were spotted swarming Philippine waters.

“Our experience in 2021 when the Philippine government under the administration of president Duterte and adviser (Hermogenes) Esperon, exposed almost 200 Chinese maritime militia in Julian Felipe. It was made public and everybody was aware of it, the US, the international community responded, made comments about it,” he said.

Tarriela said that the Chinese government was compelled to pull out its maritime militia boats after the international community took side with the Philippine government.

“We should not allow ourselves to be silent and just be reliant on diplomatic protest. We need to leave a narrative that the Chinese are doing this, and this is wrong, and this is against the international law and they are violating our sovereign rights in our own exclusive economic zone,” he added.

Asked why the China Coast Guard continues its aggressive actions, Tarriela said he believes the Chinese only wanted to prevent the PCG from maintaining presence in Ayungin Shoal. – Pia Lee-Brago Robertzon Ramirez, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Delon Porcalla