U.S. vows to defend Philippine boats in South China Sea
Global outcry grows after Beijing water-cannons Manila's resupply vessel
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pledged to defend Philippine vessels if they are attacked in the South China Sea, as Beijing and Manila pointed fingers at each other after a China Coast Guard ship fired water cannons at a Philippine boat.
In a Tuesday call with his Philippine counterpart, Austin reaffirmed the "ironclad nature of the U.S.-Philippines alliance," and committed to redouble efforts to strengthen bilateral training, interoperability, and support for the modernization of the Philippine military, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said in a readout.
The call with Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro came days after the Philippine government released video footage of a weekend incident in which a China Coast Guard ship blocked a Philippine boat attempting to resupply military personnel on Ayungin Shoal, or Second Thomas Shoal.
The Philippines maintains a small military contingent on a grounded World War II-era warship on the atoll. The U.S.-built landing craft was deliberately run aground in 1999 in response to the Chinese construction on Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands,
Austin said China's unsafe maritime maneuvers, including the use of water cannons, "undermine the status quo and directly threaten regional peace and stability."
During the call, Austin reaffirmed that "the Mutual Defense Treaty extends to Philippine public vessels, aircraft and armed forces, to include those of its Coast Guard. in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea," according to the readout.
The 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty stipulates that an armed attack in the Pacific area on one party will be deemed dangerous to the other's own peace and safety, and would lead to action.
Austin's words made clear that such Chinese actions would trigger U.S. mutual defense commitments under the treaty.
A ruling by an international tribunal in The Hague in 2016 rejected China's claims that it has historical rights within the so-called nine-dash line in the South China Sea, and stated that Second Thomas Shoal fell within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone. China has refused to abide by the tribunal's decision and has tried to assert control in the area.
A spokesperson for the Philippine Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the Chinese actions "impeded the Philippines' legitimate and regular activities in its own exclusive economic zone." The resupply missions "are part of regular operations," the spokesperson added.
The statement was a response to a Monday statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which said that the actions of China Coast Guard vessels were in accordance with law, and that the maneuvers were "professional, restrained and beyond reproach."
Japan, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, the U.K. and the European Union quickly issued statements condemning China over the move.
"Totally unacceptable," Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa tweeted on the social media platform now called X. "Any harassment & actions which infringe on lawful activities of the sea and endanger the navigational safety," he wrote.
The Canadian Embassy in Manila said in a statement that Ottawa "unreservedly condemns the dangerous and provocative actions."
France, Germany and others reiterated their support for the 2016 ruling at The Hague.
Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said that it was "another example of China's self-encirclement," and questioned the rationality of the maneuver.
"There is no reason that Beijing needs to take these risky and escalatory actions in the Philippines rightful exclusive economic zone," Cooper said. Doing so just pushes Manila away and "raises more questions about Beijing's approach among other South China Sea claimants," he said.
The U.S. has been strengthening intelligence-sharing with Manila on China's maritime activities. Washington had previously provided Manila with information that were "a few weeks old," but more recently there has been sharing of more real-time intelligence, sometimes "in a matter of hours," a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Nikkei.
The intelligence is "very helpful" to the Philippine side, including for resupplying Second Thomas Shoal, the source said.
Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, told Nikkei in an interview in April that the U.S. military had provided intelligence support to the Philippines to assist Manila's resupply operations.
The allies are working to conclude by the end of this year a new intelligence-sharing framework known as a General Security of Military Information Agreement, which is likely to allow them to exchange more advanced military information.
"While the Philippines cannot prevent China from behaving like a bully, it can bolster its defense capabilities," said Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute.
"Together with like-minded countries, the Philippines and other ASEAN member states can stand in firm opposition to those who violate regional norms or seek to establish historic rights not recognized by contemporary international law." Cronin added.