Gibo cites ‘increasing demand’ from China for PH to give up WPS claims

There is an “increasing demand by Beijing” for Manila to give up its claims in the heavily disputed South China Sea despite the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its sweeping claims in the strategic waterway, Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. said on Tuesday.

“What we see is an increasing demand by Beijing for us to concede our sovereign rights in the area because of our need to explore and exploit the resources in these areas for the benefit of our own people,” Teodoro said at a press briefing in Canberra after his meeting with his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles.

This was Teodoro’s response when asked about the “increased tempo of illegal Chinese activities” in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“And that is clear, we don’t need to enter into a geopolitical nexus for determining the root cause of the problem, because we are direct victims of Chinese aggression in this and in a concentrated area so far, thus far, in the [WPS],” he noted.

In October alone, the military monitored 29 Chinese vessels “passing through” the WPS, waters within the Philippines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said on Tuesday that 15 China Coast Guard vessels and 14 People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels “were monitored transiting or passing thru the vicinity of our features to include Bajo de Masinloc, Sabina Shoal, Julian Felipe Reef, and Iroquois Reef and were not stationary.”

In one of its last weekly reports on the number of Chinese vessels in the WPS in September, the Navy monitored a record-high 251 Chinese vessels, mostly Chinese maritime militia ships.

In the face of growing Chinese aggression in the disputed sea, the Philippine government, according to Teodoro, continues to be vigilant “on a 360-degree basis,” particularly in its EEZ.

Domestic criminal activities

Aside from illegal Chinese activities in the WPS, he said the Philippines has also been “combating malign influence of Chinese nationals in the illegal economies in the Philippines,” which include the proliferation of criminal activity and the use of fake citizenships.

“I’m not saying that there’s an overt connection, but what I’m saying is Chinese nationals are involved, and for us to make an assumption that there is no connection, means to say we are not doing our job as security officials,” he pointed out.

Speaking at a forum organized by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra on Monday, Teodoro also pointed out that Beijing’s grey zone tactics in the heavily disputed South China Sea has “multiplied exponentially” in the past years.

“We have seen grey zone tactics multiply exponentially during the past years from the use of maritime militia, and under the guise of domestic law enforcement in an illegally claimed area. I think that is the most obvious use of a grey zone tactic,” he noted.

Teodoro, who is in his first official visit to Australia since he was named defense chief in June 2023, said the Philippines’ “transition to external defense has brought on a lot of challenges.”

With the growing security challenges in the region, he said his job was “to deter further incursions by China,” including building a defense establishment “as quickly as possible on solid foundational grounds and not on an ad hoc basis.”

“We are investing in deterrence. That’s the best way to guarantee our security,” he added.

Irresponsible behavior

Teodoro also criticized China, which engages in discussions and consultations with the Philippines but does not have the resolve to end the maritime dispute in the South China Sea.

“For a country to say ‘let us discuss and consult’ and not solve (the problem) is highly irresponsible,” he said.

In his joint press conference with Marles, Teodoro said they agreed to make sure that Manila and Canberra’s defense ties remain ”enduring and strong.”

He said both of them agreed to “a more concrete exchange of bilateral and multilateral activities that will strengthen our partnership, breed familiarity and interoperability between our forces and our authorities, so that we can enforce international law norms in our areas of responsibility.”

The meeting between the two defense chiefs, their fifth since August 2023, reflects deeper security ties between the countries, both of whom have expressed concern about Chinese activity in areas of the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.

The two nations signed a strategic partnership in September last year and held their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea several months later.

The Philippines also joined war games in Australia this year for the first time. —WITH A REPORT FROM REUTERS