US backs Philippines in stand-off over South China Sea reef
- The US embassy said it shared the concerns of the Philippines and accused China of using ‘maritime militia to intimidate, provoke, and threaten other nations, which undermines peace and security’
- Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Sunday demanded about 200 Chinese vessels he said were militia boats leave the Whitsun Reef, which is claimed by both Manila and Beijing
The US embassy said it shared the concerns of the Philippines and accused China of using “maritime militia to intimidate, provoke, and threaten other nations, which undermines peace and security in the region”. “We stand with the Philippines, our oldest treaty ally in Asia,” the US embassy in Manila said in a statement.
Philippine officials said the reef, which they call Julian Felipe, is well within the country’s internationally recognised exclusive economic zone, over which the Philippines “enjoys the exclusive right to exploit or conserve any resources”.
On Monday, a surveillance aircraft spotted 183 Chinese vessels still at the reef, said Philippine military chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, who released aerial pictures of the Chinese vessels in one of the most hotly contested regions in the strategic waterway. The Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest over the Chinese presence, Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jnr said.
Duterte has nurtured friendly ties with Beijing since taking office in 2016 and has been criticised for not immediately demanding Chinese compliance with an international arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s historic claims to virtually the entire sea. China has refused to recognise the 2016 ruling and continues to defy it. Duterte has sought infrastructure funds, trade and investments from China, which has also donated and pledged to deliver more Covid-19 vaccines as the Philippines faces an alarming spike in coronavirus infections.