MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The U.S. military is open to consultations on protecting Philippine ships in the disputed South China Sea, the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said Tuesday, as tensions between Beijing and Manila in the disputed waters escalate. Between increases in
Admiral Samuel Paparo's remarks, which he made in response to a question during a news conference in Manila with Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Browner Jr., echoed the mindset of one of the highest-ranking US military commanders outside the US soil. Provide glimpses. on a possible operation that would put U.S. naval vessels at risk of direct collisions with Chinese vessels.
Chinese coast guard, navy and suspected militia vessels have regularly clashed with Philippine vessels during efforts to resupply Filipino sailors stationed in parts of the South China Sea the two countries claim. As the clashes have turned increasingly hostile, resulting in injuries to Filipino sailors and damage to their ships, the Philippine government is facing questions about its deal with Washington.
Paparo and Browner spoke to reporters after an international military conference in Manila hosted by the US Indo-Pacific Command, which highlighted China's increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea. Military and defense officials and diplomats from the United States and allied countries attended, but there was no Chinese representative.
Asked if the US military would consider escorting Philippine ships delivering food and other supplies to Philippine forces in the South China Sea, Paparo replied, “Certainly, in the context of consultations.”
“Every option between two sovereign nations in terms of our mutual defense, moving one ship to another, is a perfectly reasonable option within our mutual defense agreement,” Paparo said without elaborating. in close union”.
Brawner responded cautiously to the proposal, which could violate Philippine laws, including a constitutional ban on foreign forces being directly involved in local hostilities.
“The attitude of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as per Philippine law, is for us to rely on ourselves first,” Browner said. “We're going to try all options, all avenues that are available to us to achieve the mission … in this case, the resupply and rotation of our troops.”
“Then we'll look for other options when we're already forced to do it ourselves,” Browner said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said there is no situation yet that warrants activating the pact, which requires allies to come to each other's aid if they come under external attack.
President Joe Biden and his administration have repeatedly renewed their “ironclad” pledge under the 1951 treaty to help defend the Philippines should Philippine forces, ships and aircraft come under armed attack. including in the South China Sea.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. told the conference that China was the “biggest disruptor” of peace in Southeast Asia and called for strong international condemnation of its aggression in the South China Sea, one of Days later, China blocked Philippine ships from delivering food. Coast Guard vessel at Sabina Shoal in disputed waters.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said China “can never be labeled as undermining peace”, accusing unspecified other actors of “violating and provoking in the South China Sea and harming the bigger picture of regional peace”. responsible for introducing external forces to deliver”. Stability.”
Teodoro later told reporters on the sidelines of the conference that international statements of concern against China's increasingly aggressive actions in disputed waters and elsewhere “are not enough.”
“The antidote is a strong collective multilateral action against China,” Teodoro said, adding that a UN Security Council resolution would be a strong step, but that China was unlikely to veto the Security Council.
He also urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to do more. The 10-nation Southeast Asian bloc includes the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, which have claims to the South China Sea shared by each other, as well as China and Taiwan.
“ASEAN, to remain relevant and credible, cannot ignore what China is doing in the South China Sea,” Teodoro said.
In the latest incident in the South China Sea, Philippine officials said China deployed an “excessive force” of 40 ships that attacked two Philippine vessels in the Sabina Shoal on Monday and attacked Manila's largest coast guard ship. And prevented from delivering other goods.
China and the Philippines have blamed each other for the standoff in Sabina, an uninhabited atoll claimed by both countries that has become the latest flashpoint in the Spratlys, the most hotly disputed region in the South China Sea.
China and the Philippines have deployed coast guard ships to Sabina in recent months on suspicion that the other may be working to take control of the fishing atoll and build structures.
The Philippine Coast Guard said Chinese coast guard and navy vessels, along with 31 suspected militia vessels, intercepted the shipment, which included an ice cream treat for personnel aboard the BRP Teresa Magbanua, as the Philippines on Monday National Heroes Day was celebrated.
In Beijing, China's coast guard said it took control measures against two Philippine coast guard vessels that “entered” waters near Sabina Shoal. It said in a statement that the Philippine ship repeatedly came close to the Chinese coast guard vessel, worsening the situation.
China has rapidly expanded its military and has become increasingly aggressive in pursuing its territorial claims in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims as its own. The tensions have led to more frequent clashes, primarily with the Philippines, although long-standing territorial disputes have also involved other claimants, including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
Japan's government protested separately from Beijing on Tuesday, saying a Chinese spy plane had violated its airspace and forced it to intercept fighter jets.
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Associated Press reporters Joel Calupitan and Aaron Favela in Manila, Ken Moritsugu in Beijing and David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.