U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Philippine Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana on April 10 and exchanged views on the situation in the South China Sea, talking specifically about the Chinese “maritime militia The two sides exchanged views on the situation in the South China Sea and specifically addressed the gathering of Chinese “maritime militia” vessels in the waters near Bull Yoke Reef.
U.S. Defense Department spokesman John F. Kirby introduced the call with Lorenzana to reaffirm their mutual commitment to the U.S.-Philippine alliance through a statement. “Secretary Austin and Secretary Lorenzana discussed the situation in the South China Sea and the recent build-up of People’s Republic of China maritime militia ships on Bull Yoke Reef,” the statement said. The statement said, “Secretary Austin reiterated the United States’ commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region rooted in international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Secretary Austin proposed several measures to deepen defense cooperation between the United States and the Philippines, including enhancing situational awareness of threats in the South China Sea.” During the call, the two also reportedly affirmed the value of the U.S.-Philippine Visiting Forces Agreement. They pledged to maintain close ties.
The U.S. and Philippine national security advisers and other officials have communicated specifically in response to the Philippines’ statement that more than 200 Chinese vessels were spotted on the sovereignty-disputed Niu Yoke Reef on March 7. State Department spokesman Ned Price, speaking April 7, emphasized that “an armed attack on the Armed Forces of the Philippines, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea, would trigger our obligations under the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty.” Kirby had described earlier this week that the U.S. Navy’s USS Roosevelt carrier strike group, as well as the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, are operating in the South China Sea. The United States does not have a permanent military presence in the Philippines, but sometimes rotates troops to the Philippines under the U.S.-Philippine Visiting Forces Agreement.
Austin said via Twitter Sunday, “I had a productive call with Secretary Lorenzana to discuss the challenges in the South China Sea and the need to unite to ensure security and stability in the region. #FreeandOpenIndianPacific.” For his part, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez noted in an interview the same day that he expects more U.S. ships to come and operate in the South China Sea. He said, “The U.S. freedom of navigation operations will continue. They have been increasing in the last few months …… precisely to protect the shipping lanes there.” He added, “Freedom of navigation (means) that any vessel can pass there without harassment or obstruction by any country.”
In the interview, Romualdez reiterated that the U.S. government will support the Philippines if the situation in the South China Sea escalates. He also said the U.S. has assured the Philippines of its “concern” and “their willingness to help us if requested by the Philippines if the Chinese incursions worsen.” He said the U.S. is prepared to invoke the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines if needed. In an interview on Saturday, Lorenzana revealed that the number of Chinese vessels in the disputed waters had decreased to 32 in the past three days from 220 on March 27, the Philippine Star reported.
We will continue to ask the Chinese side to remove these vessels, but they may keep one or two or three, but more than these vessels will cause panic”, Lorenzana said. He continued that he was pleased that the United States and other countries have shown support for the Philippines on the West Philippine Sea issue. Lorenzana said, “Not only the United States, but many countries around the world support our position on the West Philippine Sea issue. In short at the end of the day we want to resolve this issue in a peaceful way.” He said the West Philippine Sea issue is being resolved in cooperation with the United States, a close ally, within the framework of the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty. Separately on the issue of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, he said China remains an obstacle to the code’s introduction.
In addition, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Cirilito Sobejana said in an interview Sunday that the joint Philippine-U.S. “shoulder-to-shoulder” military exercises will resume. The opening ceremony of the military exercise will be held on April 12. The military exercise has been streamlined due to the epidemic, and only about 1,700 Filipino and U.S. soldiers will participate. According to Reuters, however, unlike previous exercises, this year’s “shoulder-to-shoulder” exercise will be scaled down to test the readiness of the two countries’ militaries to deal with threats such as natural disasters and radical extremist attacks.
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