US renews call on China to stop aggressive actions in disputed sea, where hostilities have flared

Manila, Philippines — The United States on Friday reiterated its call for China to stop its aggressive actions in the South China Seaand said a broader network of security alliances has emerged to uphold the rule of law in the disputed waters.

Washington’s top diplomat in Manila was joined by colleagues from key Western and Asian allies, including Japan and Australia, at a Manila forum to express concern about rising hostilities in disputed waters, particularly between China and the Philippines. They pledged to help defend a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.

In the worst confrontation So far, Chinese coast guard personnel armed with knives, spears and an axe aboard motorboats have repeatedly rammed and destroyed two Philippine navy supply ships in a chaotic clash on June 17 on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in which Filipino sailors were injured and seven Philippine navy guns were seized.

China and the Philippines blamed each other for the incident, the latest in a series of high-seas confrontations since last year. Besides China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have been involved in territorial conflicts for decades.

“With the support of an increasingly interconnected network of alliances and partnerships, the United States continues to urge the People’s Republic of China to cease its escalating and dangerous harassment of Philippine vessels operating lawfully in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone,” U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson told the forum, referring to the People’s Republic of China.

China should “cease and desist from restricting the freedom of navigation and overflight of all states lawfully operating in the region,” Carlson said. “The condemnation from the international community is loud and growing, and it speaks to our shared determination to support international rules and norms that benefit us all.”

The Biden administration is strengthening an arc of security alliances in Asia as a countermeasure to an increasingly assertive China. This is closely linked to the efforts of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos to strengthen his country’s territorial defense.

Beijing opposes Washington’s alliance and has repeatedly vowed to defend its territorial interests at all costs.

The forum marked the anniversary of a 2016 Arbitration Panel Ruling in The Hague, Netherlands, which declared China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea invalid. Beijing refused to join the Philippines-initiated arbitration, rejected the ruling and continues to ignore it.

Dozens of protesters held a separate rally on Friday to mark the anniversary of the arbitration ruling in the outskirts of Quezon City, waving small Philippine flags and displaying posters reading “China out!” and “Long live the victory of the arbitration ruling.”

Australian Ambassador HK Yu said the June 17 incident at the shoal was “an escalation in a deeply worrying pattern of behaviour by China … that threatens lives and creates risks of miscalculation and escalation.”

“The Philippines is not alone in this challenge,” Yu said. “I can tell you this, you can count on Australia.”

“As allies, partners and friends, we stand united in navigating these uncertain waters and upholding the fundamental principles that protect our shared waters,” Ambassador Kazuya Endo of Japan told the forum attended by Manila-based diplomats and senior Philippine security officials.

Japan, which has its own dispute with China in the East China Sea, has provided patrol ships and a coastal radar system to help the Philippines better defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea.

Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano called for international support to push for Chinese compliance with the arbitration ruling. Manila, he said, would pursue peaceful resolutions to the disputes, but “we will stand firm and resist coercion, interference, malign influence and other tactics that seek to jeopardize our security.”