ASEAN, Australia: SCS must be sea of peace

MELBOURNE – Southeast Asian and Australian leaders yesterday warned against actions that “endanger peace” in the South China Sea, following fresh maritime confrontations between China and the Philippines.

Simmering tensions in the trade corridor threatened to boil over earlier this week, when China Coast Guard (CCG) ships in the Spratly Islands were accused of hounding Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels.

China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, ignoring legal precedents and competing claims from a host of Southeast Asian nations.

The festering dispute poses one of the region’s most vexing security challenges, looming large during a three-day summit between Australia and the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“We encourage all countries to avoid any unilateral actions that endanger peace, security and stability in the region,” read a joint declaration hammered out between ASEAN members and Australia.

“We recognize the benefits of having the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability and prosperity,” the statement added.

As the summit kicked off on Monday morning, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo delivered a simple message to Beijing: “Stop harassing us.”

The following day, CCG boats were accused of harassing a flotilla of Philippine ships sailing on a resupply mission.

The Chinese vessels were involved in two separate collisions, the PCG said, and blasted one of the resupply boats with a powerful water cannon.

Bound to act by consensus, the ASEAN forum has long struggled to make inroads on the overlapping claims staked throughout the South China Sea.

But the fraught atmosphere hanging over the region has nations such as the Philippines now pushing for the bloc to take a firmer stance.

Close United States ally Australia has proven increasingly willing to speak out against China.

“We need to make sure that activity in the South China Sea alleviates any tensions and doesn’t add to it,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters at the summit

Lessons of history

Emphasizing the need to understand the lessons of history, President Marcos yesterday called on members of the ASEAN, Australia and other like-minded states to remain committed to a rules-based international order amid actions that “denigrate, deny and even violate international law.”

In his intervention during the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit Leaders’ Retreat in Melbourne, Marcos argued that a rules-based international order “emanates from the lessons of history.”

According to Marcos, conflicts and war “necessitated an international order based on institutions and rules which are of universal import.”  

“We need not repeat history in order to recognize its lessons,” Marcos said.

Without mentioning China, the President reiterated that the Philippines would not yield even an inch of its sovereign territory and is committed to defending its rights within the parameters recognized by international law.

According to Marcos, it remains the responsibility of each state “to promote and protect the rule of international law as much as any other state facing wanton military might.”

“We acknowledge ASEAN’s oldest dialogue partner’s support not only through statements, but also through concrete initiatives that recognize the Philippines’ rights under international law in the South China Sea,” Marcos said, referring to Australia.

“It is the Philippines’ hope that ASEAN continues to collectively and constructively address challenges together.”

Intrusion in Philippine  Rise

The President also expressed suspicion on the recent presence of Chinese research vessels in the Philippine Rise (formerly known as Benham Rise), describing it as a “clear intrusion” into the Philippines’ maritime territory.

“Once again, this is a clear intrusion into our Philippine maritime territory and it is, as usual, of great concern. And I see this as absolutely unnecessary because if it is truly a research vessel then we could have come to a very simple agreement that the research vessel will ply the waters and do the research that they need to do,” the President said.

“However, there is a suspicion that they are not only research vessels so, again, this is a bit of an escalation of the tension that is present in the West Philippines Sea,” he added.

Earlier this week, American maritime expert Ray Powell said two Chinese research ships were spotted in the northeast corner of the Philippine Rise – a 13-million hectare submerged continental shelf off Aurora province.
According to Powell, Chinese ships Haiyang Dizhi Liuhao and Haiyang Dizhi Shihao left Guangzhou last Feb. 26 and moved east southeast through the Luzon Strait.

Last Monday, the Philippine Navy reported that the Chinese research ships are already out of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

In the same video message, Marcos said the decision on whether to increase the frequency of joint military exercises with Australia hinges on the situation in the West Philippine Sea.

Post collision actions

After China Coast Guard vessels 21555 and 21551 fired their water cannons and broke the windshield of resupply boat Unaizah May 4 at 8:15 a.m. of March 5, another CCG vessel dispatched a rigid-hull inflatable boat and circled the damaged boat, Philippine Coast Guard-West Philippine Sea spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela disclosed during the National Security Council press conference.

“As a result of the water cannoning, the PCG’s MRRV 4407 (Multi-Role Response Vessel 4407 or BRP Sindangan) received a radio call from Unaizah May 4 that four of its crew have been injured,” Tarriela said.

This prompted the PCG’s BRP Sindangan to dispatch a RHIB and provide medical assistance to the injured personnel.

“Despite the damage Unaizah May 4 sustained because of the water cannon and near collision, they know for a fact that Unaizah May 4 had injured personnel onboard. The CCG 21551 launched a RHIB and circled around Unaizah May 4 trying to document, as if we are the ones doing the illegal activities in our EEZ (exclusive economic zone),” Tarriela added.

The Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) reportedly continued to shadow the Unaizah May 4 and BRP Sindangan even as they already began their travel back to Palawan.

As to the slight collision incident involving BRP Sindangan with a CCG vessel, Tarriela said that it has reportedly been the practice of Chinese vessels that “they would block our pathway, they are going to stop all their engines and they would appear that they would stay there so that there would be a possibility for the Philippine Coast Guard (vessel) to collide (with) their vessel.”

He also questioned the sincerity of the CCG in preventing the collision because while PCG personnel made an effort to lessen the impact, the CCG personnel were seen taking videos of the incident.

Uncivilized

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. described China’s behavior in the West Philippine Sea as “downright uncivilized” following Tuesday’s collisions and water cannon attacks that damaged ships and injured four Navy personnel.

“The acts of the PRC’s agents in the West Philippine Sea are patently illegal and downright uncivilized,” Teodoro said in a statement as he urged China to “be truthful and to be believable.”

“The propaganda mechanisms of the PRC once again attempt to justify their illegal acts against Philippine vessels on their so-called ‘indisputable’ claim over most of the South China Sea,” Teodoro said.

According to Teodoro, China is taking “great pains to mischaracterize their provocations as lawful under international law,” similar to how the PRC asserts that the actions of the CCG and its maritime militia vessels are “professional, restrained, reasonable and lawful.”

Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command commander Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos was among those slightly hurt when Chinese coast guard vessels pounded civilian supply boat Unaizah May 4 with water cannons on Tuesday while on a rotation and resupply (RORE) mission to Ayungin Shoal.

Carlos said the force of the water cannon attacks shattered the windshield of the civilian supply boat carrying him and other Philippine Navy personnel, resulting in minor injuries.

Despite what happened, Carlos said the directive of President Marcos is “we will not yield, we will not, we will be undeterred and we will not leave Ayungin” and RORE missions will continue with operations adjusted accordingly to ensure success and the safety of personnel.

China stirring up trouble

Following the latest collision and water canon attacks on PCG ships by CCG vessels, the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea accused China yesterday of being the one that is actually stirring up trouble that has now resulted in people getting hurt.

“It is China that is deliberately stirring up trouble and maliciously inciting hype and not the Philippines. We wish to remind China that when it points a finger at others, there are three other fingers pointing back at them,” National Security Council assistant director general Jonathan Malaya said.

“China’s latest unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers against a legitimate and routine rotation and resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal in the WPS have put the lives of our people at risk and caused actual injury to Filipinos on board the supply ship,” he said. -  AFP, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Bella Cariaso, Emmanuel Tupas, Evelyn Macairan