Chinese Navy presence near Edca site off Palawan a ‘show of force’ — analyst
MANILA, Philippines — The presence of Chinese Navy warships in Balabac Strait is a “show of force” in preparation for any naval “confrontation” in the West Philippine Sea, a security analyst said on Friday.
On Wednesday, four People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) warships were monitored in the waterway that connects the West Philippine Sea with the Sulu Sea, a development which the military quickly downplayed, noting that the area is a “commonly used by international vessels passing through our waters.”
READ: West Philippine Sea: 4 Chinese warships monitored off Balabac, Palawan
However, the presence of PLA-N warships is near Balabac town in Palawan, which is named as one of the four new sites of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) between Manila and Washington.
This did not escape the attention of security expert Chester Cabalza.
“The presence of PLA-N in Balabac which is one of the four new added Edca sites in Luzon means that Beijing is preparing for any naval confrontation with the Philippines and its allies,” Cabalza, president and founder of Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, told INQUIRER.net.
Under Edca, the United States will be allowed to store equipment and deploy its troops inside Philippine military bases.
For Cabalza, the presence of PLA-N warships is also a message in case Manila and Washington push through with their consultation, which is provided under Article III of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between both nations.
Article III of the MDT states that: “The Parties, through their Foreign Ministers or their deputies, will consult together from time to time regarding the implementation of this Treaty and whenever in the opinion of either of them the territorial integrity, political independence or security of either of the Parties is threatened by external armed attack…”
The discussions to activate the MDT came after the June 17 confrontation between the Philippine Navy and the China Coast Guard (CCG) which led to the latter’s boarding of the former’s boats, looting of its firearms, and even causing serious injuries to one of its sailors.
READ: West Philippine Sea: Navy says PH won’t fire first bullet against CCG
CCG personnel carrying bolos, knives, and pickaxes rammed, towed, and even boarded Philippine vessels during the resupply mission for the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, a move which its spokesperson Gan Yu only deemed as “control measures”.
Manila’s regular resupply mission in the BRP Sierra Madre became one of the flashpoints of tension in the West Philippine Sea, and the latest mission saw the most violent actions from Beijing thus far.
Beijing asserts sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea — including most of the West Philippine Sea — rejecting a 2016 international tribunal ruling that effectively invalidated its claims while ruling heavily in favor of Manila.
With all of these being considered, Cabalza, then, ruled out the possibility of PLA-N’s presence as an “innocent passage.”
“This does not entail the innocent passage provided to international vessels in straits but a show of force in preparation for any eventuality,” he said.
