Philippines mulls higher defence budget to tackle South China Sea ‘harassment’

The consideration comes as Beijing warned that involving a third party to resolve the maritime dispute could turn the South China Sea into a ‘sea of war’

The Philippines will also buy cruise missiles, artillery systems in military posturing to ‘drive away’ Chinese fishing boats near the energy-rich Recto Bank

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An activist protests outside the Chinese consulate in Manila in 2021. Philippine-China have been strained amid growing tensions in the South China Sea. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:00pm, 11 Jul 2023

The Philippines is considering increasing its defence budget to tackle Chinese “harassment” of the country’s vessels near a reef in the contested South China Sea, as Beijing warned that any attempt to involve a third party to resolve the maritime dispute could turn the resource-rich waterway into a “sea of war”.

Lawmaker Joey Salceda, head of the ways and means committee, said Congress needed to know how far the Department of National Defence had succeeded in its efforts to boost maritime capabilities before approving next year’s military outlay.

Salceda also called on the department to explain what resources were required to achieve sufficient readiness to deal with China’s aggression, adding his panel had the financial muscle to bump up the funding as it seeks to pursue more aid from European countries.

“It doesn’t matter what we can afford. We can explore different sources,” he said.

“What matters is how far we have gone and what steps we still need to take.”

Salceda said Manila would also be buying US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and India’s BrahMos anti-ship cruise missiles this year to strengthen its military posturing, as the coastguard vowed to reinforce patrols to “drive away” dozens of Chinese fishing boats near the energy-rich Recto Bank in the South China Sea.

The coastguard added the ships’ presence in Philippine waters may be a prelude to China’s illegal occupation of the area.