Phl, US, Japan hit sea, economic coercion

WASHINGTON – The Philippines, Japan and the US yesterday displayed solidarity against China’s “aggressive,” “dangerous” and “destabilizing” behavior in the South China Sea following a historic trilateral summit seen as the start of a deeper cooperation among the three Indo-Pacific maritime countries.

- ALEXIS ROMERO

In a joint statement, President Marcos, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida chided China for its “militarization” of reclaimed features, unlawful maritime claims, “dangerous” and “coercive” use of coast guard and maritime militia ships and efforts to prevent other countries from exploiting their offshore resources.

They called on China to abide by the 2016 arbitral ruling upholding the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), describing it as final and legally binding.

“We express our serious concerns about the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s dangerous and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea,” the leaders said in a seven-page joint vision statement.

“We steadfastly oppose the dangerous and coercive use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea, as well as efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation. We reiterate serious concern over the PRC’s repeated obstruction of Philippine vessels’ exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and the disruption of supply lines to Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal, which constitute dangerous and destabilizing conduct.”

The three leaders reaffirmed their commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight and highlighted the importance of respecting the sovereign rights of states within their EEZ consistent with international law.

They also announced plans to hold joint drills in the Indo-Pacific as part of their efforts to promote maritime security.