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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 13) The country’s top military official sees an escalation of tensions in the disputed South China Sea, citing “aggressive” actions by Beijing.
“The situation now becomes more intense, more tense, because China is conducting its own unilateral exercises,” the head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, General Gilbert Gapay, said on Tuesday in an online forum organized by the Association of Foreign Correspondents. From philippines.
Gapay mentioned that Beijing had fired missiles into the South China Sea in August, prompting Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. to warn Chinese authorities to “expect the worst” if naval exercises are extended to the Philippine territory. He also recalled the Chinese ships that swarmed the disputed areas and Beijing’s recovery activities.
“And here comes the United States making a show of force. So now he’s very tense, ”Gapay added.
On Monday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was quoted as saying that the situation in the Western Sea of the Philippines was “stable and manageable.” Gapay, on the other hand, describes it as “volatile and uncertain.”
Beijing claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including areas that an international court in The Hague ruled as part of Manila’s exclusive economic zone. China rejects the landmark ruling.
The United States does not claim any part of the global waterway, but denounces the militarization of the area by China. It also conducts freedom of navigation operations in disputed waters.
President Rodrigo Duterte agreed to set aside the arbitration ruling to seek friendship and cooperation with China. This continues to be the government’s stance despite the country’s asserting its victory in arbitration before the United Nations General Assembly.
‘Military diplomacy’
In keeping with the Duterte administration’s policy, Gapay said AFP is taking a diplomatic approach, pushing for the establishment of open lines of communication with China.
“I was able to speak to the commander of the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army myself and we really intend to institutionalize those open lines of communication,” Gapay said. “This is part of military diplomacy.”
Gapay explained that government forces maintain their presence in the Western Philippine Sea by conducting daily naval and air patrols and upgrading facilities in Philippine-occupied features, such as the island of Pag-asa.
“We are building barracks there, local monitoring stations and other life support facilities for our troops,” Gapay said.
The Department of Foreign Relations has filed several diplomatic protests with China amid the pandemic. The latest was in August, where he drew attention to the illegal seizure of fishermen’s devices by the Chinese Coast Guard in Scarborough Shoal, and the issuance of radio challenges on AFP planes conducting regular maritime patrols in the Sea of Western Philippines.
Gapay said AFP is also involved in drafting a Code of Conduct, which will determine the only permissible actions that countries can take in the South China Sea. He hopes the code can be completed early next year, but the goal of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China is to finish it by 2022, within its three-year timeframe.
READ: ASEAN, Beijing resumed meeting on the South China Sea Code of Conduct – Chinese Embassy
CNN Philippines’ David Santos contributed to this report.
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