NextGen Day

Defense chiefs for the United States and the Philippines “condemned” China’s “grey zone” activities in the West Philippine Sea on Monday night.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III and Department of National Defense Officer in Charge Carlito Galvez Jr. claimed over the phone that these operations “interfere with the rights of other claimant states that seek to operate lawfully in the South China Sea consistent with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling” as well as the livelihoods of local Philippine communities.”

The “massing of more than 40 vessels” by China this month within Pag-asa Island’s 12-nautical-mile territorial waters, including a ship from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, alarmed the two officials.

“The swarm of vessels follows a deadly incident last month, in which the PRC Coast Guard targeted a Philippine vessel operating legally near Second Thomas Shoal with a military-grade laser, briefly blinding several of the crew,” according to a readout from the US Department of Defense.

Analysts describe gray-zone operations as those that stop a nation from employing self-defense but don’t cross the line into aggression.

According to analysts, grey zone tactics in the West Philippine Sea could include the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) claiming Beijing’s “rights” under its purported historical claims there as well as the stationing of maritime militia and fishing vessels within the nation’s 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

READ: According to PH, expose Chinese activity in SCS to stop “harassment”

Enrique Manalo, the foreign affairs secretary, said in front of a security conference that harassment had occurred “daily instances” within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippines in February.

The Philippine Coast Guard noted the appearance of at least 42 suspected Chinese maritime militia ships, a CCG, and a PLA Navy vessel the following month off Pag-asa Island, the location of Kalayaan, Palawan’s local government.

Austin repeated that the Mutual Defense Treaty covers Philippine armed forces, planes, and public vessels, including Coast Guard ships, “anywhere in the South China Sea” and pledged Washington DC’s “unwavering alliance commitment” to Manila during the phone call.

The officials agreed to assess the “whole range of US-Philippine maritime cooperation” at an upcoming meeting of the foreign and defense ministers. They also talked about intentions to conduct joint marine operations in the South China Sea.

The discussion, also known as the 2+2 sessions, is expected to take place “sometime around the middle of April,” according to Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Filipino ambassador to the United States.

Austin and Galvez are also looking forwards to future operational encounters between the US and Philippine Armed Forces, such as Balikatan 2023 in April, which will be the biggest joint military exercise yet with more than 17,000 personnel participating.

In addition to Philippine-US defense relations, Austin and Galvez talked about the US’s upcoming assistance in containing and reducing the environmental harm caused by an oil spill off the coast of Mindoro Oriental.

Also, Austin sent condolences to Galvez for the recent murders of the eight other victims and the previous governor of Negros Oriental, Roel Degamo.

The call was placed a few hours after the Basa Air Base runway restoration project, one of the Expanded Defense Cooperation Agreement’s approved projects, broke ground on Monday. The project is expected to cost USD 24 million.

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