US Says Escorting Philippine Ships in South China Sea an Option
(Bloomberg) -- The US is willing to accompany Philippine vessels during resupply missions in the disputed South China Sea amid recurring confrontations with Chinese ships, according to a senior military official.
“Certainly within the context of consultations, every option between two sovereign nations in terms of our mutual defense — escort of one vessel to the other is an entirely reasonable option within our Mutual Defense Treaty,” Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, told reporters on Tuesday.
Paparo’s comments follow recent clashes between Philippine and Chinese ships in the contested waters, including a collision on Sunday near Sabina Shoal. Washington has repeatedly assured Manila of its “ironclad” commitment to defend its longtime ally in the event of an armed attack under their 1951 treaty.
China has taken an increasingly aggressive stance toward Philippine ships it accuses of entering waters Beijing says are its own, despite a 2016 international tribunal decision dismissing those claims in favor of Manila.
The Philippine armed forces will rely on themselves to carry out missions in the South China Sea, said military chief Romeo Brawner Jr. who spoke after Paparo.
“While we can do it by ourselves, we will do it. And we will then seek other options when we are already constrained from doing it ourselves,” said Brawner. “It’s not just perhaps cooperating with the United States, but also with other like minded nations,” he added.
The Philippines has conducted joint patrols with the US and other countries like Japan and Australia in the South China Sea in a bid to uphold freedom of navigation.
But Washington’s direct involvement in Manila’s South China Sea missions could risk intensifying tensions with Beijing, which has said the US “has no right to interfere” in the maritime dispute.
(Updates with comments from Philippine military chief.)
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