The US deployed a reconnaissance aircraft while Japan and the Philippines sent navy ships in a joint patrol in the disputed South China Sea yesterday, two days after the allied forces condemned actions by China Coast Guard vessels against Philippine patrol ships.
The US Indo-Pacific Command said the joint patrol was conducted in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone by allies and partners to “uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight “ and “other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace.”
Those phrases are used by the US, Japan and the Philippines to oppose China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed waters.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Two Philippine security officials said the patrol was staged about 40 nautical miles (74km) from Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島), a fishing area hotly disputed by Beijing and Manila off northwestern Philippines.
The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not have authority to discuss such details publicly.
The joint naval patrol, the latest in recent months by the Philippines, the US and their security partners, was delayed by several typhoons that battered the region and was not in reaction to a confrontation on Wednesday that involved Chinese and Philippine ships off Scarborough Shoal, the two Philippine officials said.
The Philippine Coast Guard said China Coast Guard vessels, backed by navy ships, fired powerful water cannons and blocked and sideswiped a much smaller Philippine bureau of fisheries vessel escorted by coast guard ships off Scarborough Shoal.
The Philippine vessels were delivering fuel, food and other aid to Filipino fishers in the shoal, which has been closely guarded by the China Coast Guard since a tense 2012 territorial standoff with Philippine ships.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs protested the Chinese actions.
The China Coast Guard provided another account of the incident. It said the Philippine vessels encroached on China’s territory, prompting it to take action. It said, without offering proof, that a Philippine vessel maneuvered in a way that led to a collision.
The US, Japan, the EU and other Western allies expressed alarm over the hostilities, which have increased in frequency since last year.
Japan, which also has territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East China Sea, said the “use of water cannon and obstructive maneuvers undermine the safety of ship and crew.”
Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya said “Japan upholds the rule of law and opposes any actions which increase tensions.”
Japan is providing ￥1.6 billion yen (US$10.63 million) in security assistance this year to provide the Philippine navy with coastal radars, inflatable boats and other defense equipment to strengthen surveillance of Philippine sea lanes, including in the South China Sea.
Japan has also helped improve the Philippine air force’s aerial surveillance radar, the two countries said on Thursday.
The US has warned that it is obligated to defend the Philippines, a treaty ally, if Filipino forces come under attack in the South China Sea.
The US defense commitment to the Philippines has received strong bipartisan support in Washington, which Philippine officials said they expect would continue under the administration of US president-elect Donald Trump.
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