China showcased its naval and air military power in the South China Sea on Sunday while firing broadsides — no, make that practically mocking — a similar show of force by the Philippines, the United States, Japan and Australia in the region now on tenterhooks.
Call it saber-rattling or what, China’s flexing of its military might came just hours after the commencement of the four countries’ joint military activity in and around the West Philippine Sea.
The Chinese army announced in a statement that “The Chinese PLA Southern Theater Command organized a joint naval and air strategic patrol in the South China Sea on 7 April,” an activity that undoubtedly did not go unnoticed by the Philippines and its allies.
China also downplayed the maritime cooperative activity between the four nations being conducted “in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
“All military activities disrupting the South China Sea situation and creating buzzes are under control,” the Chinese missive said.
A 2016 arbitral ruling recognized the Philippines as having exclusive economic rights in a 200-nautical mile zone overlapping the South China Sea, which was claimed nearly wholly by Beijing.
Over the weekend, defense chiefs of the Philippines, Australia, Japan and the United States announced their plan to hold a maritime cooperative activity within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
In a joint statement, the four countries stressed that the MCA, which is scheduled to happen on 7 April, is intended to “uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, and respect for maritime rights under international law, reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
“The MCA will be conducted by naval/maritime and air force units in a manner that is consistent with international law as well as domestic laws and rules of respective nations, and with due regard to the safety of navigation and the rights and interests of other States,” the statement read.
“It will also demonstrate professional interactions among naval/maritime and air forces. Ultimately, the MCA will strengthen the interoperability of our defense/armed forces doctrines, tactics, techniques, and procedures,” it added.
“We stand with all nations in safeguarding the international order based on the rule of law that is the foundation for a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region.”
Likewise, the four countries reiterated their position regarding the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award as a final and legally binding decision for the parties to the dispute.
The joint naval drills of the four countries came at the heels of the heightened tension between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea.
Last month, China resorted anew to using water cannons against Philippine vessels on a resupply mission for troops stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre, a permanent post of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Ayungin Shoal.
Otherwise known as Scarborough, Ayungin Shoal, located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan, is where the BRP Sierra Madre — a World War 2 ship turned makeshift Philippine military post — was intentionally grounded.
The United States has time and again assured the Philippines that it would come to its defense under their Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) in the event of an attack by another nation.
Under the MDT, an attack on the United States is considered an attack on the Philippines and vice versa.
Later Sunday, the AFP denied any confrontation with China that disrupted the conduct of the MCCA in the WPS.
“The MMCA was successfully concluded with no untoward incident,” AFP Public Affairs chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad told DAILY TRIBUNE.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said, “All planned exercises were conducted” and successfully concluded at about 4:52 p.m.
In a radio interview, Department of National Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said the MCCA was a “show of unity” among the four countries rather than a show of force against China.
“We’re just practicing what is allowed under international law. As I said, it’s a show of unity. If they [China] consider it a show of force, that is up to them,” Andolong said.
He added that the quadrilateral exercise among the Philippines, Australia, Japan and the US is something that is also undertaken by “civilized nations all over the world.”
“What is important is that we are doing this in the name of our national interest in the Philippines. As I mentioned, what we’re getting out of this is the enhancement of our capability and our interoperability with our partners,” he said.
