PH, Australia condemn China acts in Ayungin Shoal

FOR A RULES-BASED ORDER Australian Minister for Defense Richard Marles joins Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. at a briefing on their bilateral talks in Makati City on Friday. —PHOTO FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE-PHILIPPINES FACEBOOK PAGE

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday condemned China’s activities in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal as a “gross violation of international law,” while Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles underscored the need to stand together in defense of the rules-based order.

Marles was in Manila to witness a mock amphibious beach assault by Australian and Filipino naval forces over the weekend in a western Philippine town facing the South China Sea, Philippine military officials said.

The drill was part of Exercise “Alon,” Tagalog for wave, that involved more than 3,600 military personnel in live-fire drills and battle maneuvers, including an Australian guided-missile navy destroyer, F/A-18 supersonic fighter jets, a C-130 troop and cargo aircraft, Javelin antitank weapons and special forces sniper weapons.

“The activities of China in any area, whether in the Sierra Madre or any area under their nebulous claims, are a matter not only of concern but of condemnation,” Teodoro said at a joint press briefing in Manila.

“This is a product of a false narrative … this information is as disgusting as their activities. And we need to stand up to this,” he added.

Continued allied actions

Teodoro said Beijing’s actions, including the deployment of armed rigid hull inflatable boats and water cannon drills in Ayungin, cannot be tolerated and stressed that the Philippines continues to work closely with the United States and Australia, to deter further Chinese aggression.

Marles, for his part, reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to its defense ties with the Philippines and its alliance with Washington. He said both Manila and Canberra are “deeply invested in the rules-based order” and share concerns about China’s conduct in the West Philippine Sea.

“We understand that in that work there will be an interaction between defense forces. What we expect in that moment is that those interactions are done in a safe and professional manner,” Marles said. “We do have concerns about those standards not having been met in this instance.”

Following their talks, Teodoro and Marles signed a joint statement of intent to deepen defense cooperation, which they said would help both countries respond to regional security challenges.

Both ministers said international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, must remain the basis for settling disputes, warning against a system where “might makes right.”

Teodoro added that while China often professes willingness to negotiate, it suffers from a “deficit of trust” due to its actions in Philippine waters.

The Philippines has been confronting growing Chinese maritime activity around Ayungin Shoal, where a small detachment of Filipino troops is stationed aboard the grounded BRP Sierra Madre. —WITH A REPORT FROM AP