The national government should resolve its maritime dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) through peaceful means, key security advisers of Manila and Washington have said.
This was agreed upon by National Security Adviser Eduardo M. Año and United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan when they spoke over the phone on Thursday, June 27.
Año and Sullivan discussed the “escalatory and violent actions” by the China Coast Guard (CCG) against Filipino troops during the June 17 resupply mission at the BRP Sierra Madre outpost in Ayungin Shoal when they held a phone call, a statement from the National Security Council (NSC) disclosed on Friday, June 28.
“The two NSAs also underscored the critical role of Manila's transparency policy on the West Philippine Sea and the primacy of resolving disputes through peaceful means as well as upholding a rules-based international order,” the NSC statement said.
Año stressed to Sullivan the Philippines' “firm resolve” to protect the country’s sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as well as its national interest.
Meanwhile, Sullivan reiterated the “ironclad” commitment of the US to the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the Philippines. The 1951 defense pact requires both countries to defend each other in case of an armed attack from a third-party nation.
Sullivan, in a readout issued by the White House, said the MDT “extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft—to include those of its Coast Guard—anywhere in the South China Sea.”
“Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Año reaffirmed the enduring friendship between our nations and our shared commitment to freedom of navigation and international law in the South China Sea. The two committed to continued close cooperation in support of their shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the readout said.
The recent resupply mission saw CCG personnel ramming and deliberately puncturing holes on the boats used by the Filipino troops, confiscating their firearms, and using bladed weapons, teargas and blinding lights as the latter attempted to deliver food and other provisions to the soldiers manning the BRP Sierra Madre outpost nearly two weeks ago, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
A Philippine Navy trooper lost his thumb during the encounter but China justified its actions, saying these were "professional and restrained".