Gibo: Swarming tactic in WPS China ploy
Teodoro sees the Philippines as a ‘more valuable target’ than Taiwan.
FILE PHOTO: Secretary of National Defense Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro.
Daily TribuneTeodoro sees the Philippines as a ‘more valuable target’ than Taiwan.
FILE PHOTO: Secretary of National Defense Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday said Beijing's swarming tactic in the West Philippine Sea is part of its aim to convert the South China Sea "into a lake of China."
Teodoro, in a television interview, said China is trying to unilaterally amend the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS and other international laws "by letting other countries submit to its unilateral claim of the whole of the South China Sea as its internal waters."
"Meaning to say, it's converting the SCS into a lake of China.
And that is why it is using coast guard vessels which are massive — equivalent to naval vessels, too — to enforce domestic and criminal Chinese law in the whole of the South China Sea," he said.
Teodoro said China's swarming tactic in the WPS must be part of its illegal narrative and move "to unilaterally pound into submission other countries" to accept their "definition of what international law is with respect to the law of the sea."
Teodoro pressed the need for the country and the international community to pressure China to behave responsibly to tamp down the tensions in the WPS.
"What we should do is really to move them out. However, that is easier said than done. We can have several approaches to this. The first and foremost is to really show the world and to pressure China into behaving like a responsible citizen of the world in this area," he said.
Roguish behavior
Teodoro described China's swarming tactic in the WPS as "roguish behavior."
"There's no other way of putting it in Scarborough Shoal, actually. It proves one thing — that their bogeyman narrative that the Philippines will be a staging point for other countries against Taiwan is false because the real target is the WPS and the Philippine straits," he said.
Teodoro sees the Philippines as a "more valuable target" than Taiwan.
He said that "it's a question for the world to be worried about" because if China constricts the South China Sea, it will affect supply chains and the international maritime order.
Teodoro said the Philippines' existence as an archipelagic country under UNCLOS will be perilous should it fail to secure its exclusive economic zone.
"Our integrity as a country is in peril and, worse, our exclusive economic zone is the patrimony of the country for our future generations' sustainability. We're an archipelagic country, our population is getting bigger and bigger, and we need all the resources possible," he noted.
Teodoro said the Philippines should continue with the momentum of its "proactive diplomacy" and its engagements with like-minded countries in and out of the region.
He said it is "theoretically possible" that China could take over Ayungin Shoal — which has been the target of its aggressive actions, including the China Coast Guard's harassment, water cannoning, laser pointing, ramming, and dangerous maneuvers against Philippine vessels.
"Theoretically, that is possible. We have plans in place, of course, for any contingencies. However, I do not want to go into the realm of speculation regarding that, but I would like to underscore the trust and sincerity with China," he said.
China has been consistent in not recognizing the 2016 arbitral ruling under UNCLOS.
Phl alliance with other countries
Meanwhile, Teodoro said the allies' commitment of support to the Philippines against China's latest aggression in the WPS "translates into several things."
"More importantly, our concrete iteration is helping us upgrade our capability so that we will have a more robust defense system that can enforce our territorial jurisdiction and sovereignty," he said.
He added that this could support the country's domain awareness.
"So that we would know what China is up to in that part of our exclusive economic zone, and this does not go for the US only, Japan has also pitched in," he pointed out.
Teodoro noted that the Philippines was the first recipient of official security assistance from Japan, with coastal radars being the first project.
"We are building an alliance of like-minded countries based on the principles of the rules-based international order and to counter China's unilateral and illegal activities," he said.
Teodoro said the situation in the WPS has gained traction with the international community, including the European Union and Asian countries.
He said international law is formed by consensus among countries and not domestically among Filipinos.
"So, our audience really is the rest of the world for there to be a consensus. This is extremely important, particularly when there's an obvious imbalance of resources and power between China and us," he added.