Friday, August 09, 2024

WWIII
Manila Secures New Partnerships for Defense of its Maritime Rights

The aging outpost aboard a tank landing ship at Second Thomas Shoal. The AFP has repaired it to last for many more years, four sources told Bloomberg (file image courtesy Jay Tarriela / PCG)

Published Aug 5, 2024 6:13 PM by The Maritime Executive

Just weeks after reaching a de-escalation agreement with the Chinese government, the Philippines has announced a flurry of defense partnerships, drills and supply operations in the South China Sea, all favoring the defense of Manila's exclusive economic zone.

First, four security sources have confirmed to Bloomberg that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has managed to repair its rusting outpost on Second Thomas Shoal, where Chinese forces have been attempting to deny access and push Philippine troops out. The repairs have been so successful that they should be sufficient to keep the outpost going for up to ten years, the sources told Bloomberg.

The news of the successful repair work is positive for the AFP, which has warned that the structure - a grounded WWII tank landing ship that is now eight decades old - was so decayed that it might have to be abandoned within a few years' time. China vigorously opposes the presence of the garrison within the Philippine exclusive economic zone, and has attempted to block resupply missions with force. Last week, after the announcement of a confidential de-escalation agreement with Beijing, AFP forces carried out a resupply mission to the reef without interference from Chinese forces.

Partnership patrols with Vietnam, Japan and U.S.

On August 5, the Vietnam Coast Guard cutter CSB 8002 called in Manila for the start of joint exercises with the Philippine Coast Guard. Though Hanoi and Manila have competing views of their respective maritime boundaries in the South China Sea, they have committed to a peaceful resolution process centered on international law and negotiation - drawing an unspoken contrast with China's unilateral expansion.

Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, including international waters and neighboring states' exclusive economic zones. Beijing continues to reject a 2016 international arbitral ruling that affirmed the Philippines' EEZ boundaries, adopting an official policy of "non-acceptance, non-participation, and non-recognition" of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague and the rules-based implementation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. In pursuit of its own interpretation of regional maritime boundaries, China has authorized the use of force against Philippine servicemembers inside of the Philippine exclusive economic zone. Multiple Philippine nationals have been injured in clashes with the China Coast Guard since the start of 2024, when the CCG adopted tougher rules of engagement; no CCG personnel have been harmed in response.

Vietnam has had similar run-ins with Chinese forces in the past, all centered on oil and gas E&P. China claims a large swathe of the Vietnamese EEZ, and has attempted to lay claim to its subsea resources as well. In 2014-16 a Chinese state oil firm attempted to carry out drilling in disputed waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, backed up by gray-zone forces of the Chinese maritime militia. Chinese vessels have also conducted unauthorized subsea surveys in Vietnamese waters, and have regularly harassed foreign-operated drilling rigs on Vietnamese license blocks, prompting several international partners to pull out.

In addition to the partnership-building drills with Vietnam's coast guard, the Philippine Navy held its first bilateral drills with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force in the South China Sea last week, the service announced Friday. It also held a rare drill with the U.S. Navy littoral combat ship USS Mobile, near a contested reef within the western Philippine EEZ; most U.S. gray-hull patrols with the Philippine Navy have been conducted in less sensitive locations, outside of the contested area where China's unilateral claims overlap with Philippine waters.

On Sunday, Manila also announced talks on a new defense partnership with Germany, coinciding with the first-ever visit of a German defense minister to Manila. The planned agreement covers training and weapons exports, said German minister Boris Pistorius, and is part of Germany's commitment to "maintaining rules-based order, securing freedom of navigation and protecting trade routes."

Chinese state-owned opinion outlet Global Times objected to Pistorius' remarks. Citing an anonymous expert on Chinese foreign affairs, GT called the German minister's public support for Philippine maritime rights "a blatant provocation against China that exacerbates tensions."

"Support for the Philippines at the cost of damaging ties with China brings no benefits to Berlin," warned GT. "There is great potential and space for rational and pragmatic cooperation between China and Germany, which is mutually beneficial and win-win."


Four Nations Make a Show of Force in Philippine EEZ

The HMCS Montreal (FFH336) and the USS Lake Erie (CG70) follow the BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) (AFP)
The HMCS Montreal and the USS Lake Erie follow the BRP Jose Rizal (AFP)

Published Aug 7, 2024 3:34 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

On Wednesday, three allied nations joined the Philippines for a two-day exercise in the South China Sea, demonstrating international support for freedom of navigation in a region contested by China. 

BRP Ramon Alcaraz, BRP Jose Rizal, HMCS MontrĂ©al and cruiser USS Lake Erie made a joint transit in the Philippine EEZ on Wednesday, joined by a Royal Australian Air Force patrol plane. It is the second time in three months that a four-nation task force made a show of force off the coast of the Philippines. In June, the navies of Canada, Japan, Australia and the Philippines made a similar transit.

"We stand together to address common maritime challenges and underscore our shared dedication to upholding international law and the rules-based order," said representatives of the four allied militaries in a joint statement. "Our four nations reaffirm the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award as a final and legally binding decision on the parties to the dispute."

China claims a broad swath of the Philippine EEZ under its sweeping "nine-dash line" policy, which asserts sovereignty over the vast majority of the South China Sea, including international waters. China refuses to recognize the 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, which found that Beijing's historically-based claims were inconsistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. 

In a statement, the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army said that it conducted a simultaneous naval drill near Chinese-occupied Scarborough Shoal, a reef within the Philippine EEZ. Three Chinese warships shadowed Wednesday's multilateral patrol, according to USNI.

China has repeatedly attempted to block Philippine navigation within the Philippine EEZ, particularly near Second Thomas Shoal, where the Armed Forces of the Philippines maintains an outpost. Since the start of 2024, Chinese forces have used violent methods to interdict Philippine supply convoys, including ramming and high-pressure water-cannoning - injuring multiple Philippine servicemembers. A recent de-escalation agreement between Manila and Beijing sought to dial back China's use of force and prevent further injuries to Philippine personnel. (No Chinese servicemembers have been reported injured in any of the encounters to date, nor has China claimed any physical damage to its vessels.) 

While the most recent convoy to Second Thomas Shoal proceeded without interference from the China Coast Guard, Chinese white-hull assets have been accumulating near Sabina Shoal, just 30 nautical miles to the east. These include a survey ship - believed to be engaged in unauthorized operations - and the world's largest coast guard cutter, the CCG 5901.  



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