China is 'the biggest disruptor' of peace in Southeast Asia, Philippine defense chief says (2024)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine defense chief said Tuesday that China is “the biggest disruptor” of peace in Southeast Asia and called for stronger international censure over its aggression in the South China Sea, a day after China blocked Philippine vessels from delivering food to a coast guard ship at the Sabina Shoal.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. spoke at an international military conference organized in Manila by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command amid a spike in clashes between China and the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea and in its airspace.

China is “the biggest disruptor of international peace” in Southeast Asia, Teodoro told the conference, which was attended by military officials and senior diplomats from the U.S. and allied countries.

He later told reporters on the sidelines of the conference that international statements of concern against China’s increasingly assertive actions in the disputed waters and elsewhere were “not enough.”

China is 'the biggest disruptor' of peace in Southeast Asia, Philippine defense chief says (1)

“The antidote is a stronger collective multilateral action against China,” Teodoro said, adding that diplomats and defense officials should determine those stronger steps.

Pressed by reporters to be more specific, Teodoro said a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning and ordering a stop to Chinese acts of aggression would be a strong step but acknowledged the difficulty of pursuing that. “The world is not that perfect,” Teodoro said.

There was no immediate reaction from Chinese officials.

China, like its geopolitical rival the U.S., is one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and has the power to veto such an adversarial step.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has paid “attention” to China’s aggressive actions but should do much more, Teodoro said. The 10-nation Southeast Asian bloc includes the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, which have South China Sea claims that overlap with each other, as well as China’s and Taiwan’s.

“ASEAN, to remain relevant and credible, cannot continue to ignore what China is doing in the South China Sea,” Teodoro said.

In the latest incident in the South China Sea, Philippine officials said China deployed “an excessive force” of 40 ships that blocked two Philippine vessels from delivering food and other supplies to Manila’s largest coast guard ship in the disputed Sabina Shoal in the latest flare-up of their territorial disputes in the busy sea passage.

China and the Philippines blamed each other for the confrontation on Monday at the Sabina Shoal, an uninhabited atoll both countries claim that has become the latest flashpoint in the Spratlys, the most hotly disputed region of the sea passage that is a key global trade and security route.

China and the Philippines have separately deployed coast guard ships to Sabina in recent months on suspicion the other may act to take control of and build structures in the fishing atoll.

The hostilities have particularlyintensified between China and the Philippinessince last year and Monday’s confrontation was the sixth the two sides have reported in the high seas andin the air. The confrontations have raised concerns of a larger conflict that could involved the United States, the longtime treaty ally of the Philippines.

Sabina is near theSecond Thomas Shoal,another flashpoint where China has hampered the Philippine delivery of supplies for Filipino forces aboard a long-grounded navy ship, the BRP Sierra Madre. Last month, China and the Philippines reached an agreement to prevent increasingly hostile confrontations at the Second Thomas Shoal, allowing a Philippine vessel to deliver food supplies a week later without any hostilities.

The Philippine coast guard said Chinese coast guard and navy ships, along with 31 suspected militia vessels, illegally obstructed Monday’s Sabina Shoal delivery, which included an ice cream treat for the personnel aboard the BRP Teresa Magbanua as the Philippines marked National Heroes’ Day.

The Philippine coast guard said it “remains steadfast in our commitment to uphold national interests and ensure the safety and security of our waters” and urged “the China coast guard to abide with the international law and stop deploying maritime forces that could undermine mutual respect, a universally recognized foundation for responsible and friendly relations among coast guards.”

In Beijing, China’s coast guard said that it took control measures against two Philippine coast guard ships that “intruded” into waters near the Sabina Shoal. It said in a statement that the Philippine ships escalated the situation by repeatedly approaching a Chinese coast guard ship. The Chinese coast guard did not say what control measures it took.

China has rapidly expanded its military and has become increasingly assertive in pursuing its territorial claims in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. The tensions have led to more frequent confrontations, primarily with the Philippines, though the longtime territorial disputes also involve other claimants, including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

Japan’s government alsoprotested to Beijingon Tuesday, saying that a Chinese reconnaissance plane violated its airspace and forced it to scramble fighter jets.

China is 'the biggest disruptor' of peace in Southeast Asia, Philippine defense chief says (2)

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

China is 'the biggest disruptor' of peace in Southeast Asia, Philippine defense chief says (2024)

FAQs

What is the relationship between China and the Philippines? ›

China is the Philippines' top trading partner, export market destination, and import source in 2019, a testament to our stronger bilateral trade relations. The Philippines and China bilateral trade reached close to US$50 Billion in 2019, growing at an average of 17 percent in the last five years.

What is the territorial dispute of Philippines and China? ›

The Spratly Islands dispute is an ongoing territorial dispute among Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam concerning "ownership" of the Spratly Islands, a group of islands and associated "maritime features" (reefs, banks, and cays etc.) located in the South China Sea.

What Shoal is the cause of conflict of China and the Philippines? ›

Overview. The Scarborough Shoal is claimed by both the Philippines and China. On April 8, 2012, a Philippine Navy surveillance plane spotted eight Chinese fishing vessels anchored in the waters of the shoal.

Why is China fighting for the South China Sea? ›

Claimant states are interested in retaining or acquiring the rights to fishing stocks, the exploration and potential exploitation of crude oil and natural gas in the seabed of various parts of the South China Sea, and the strategic control of important shipping lanes.

Is Philippines a US or China ally? ›

The Philippines is one of America's oldest Asian partners and a strategically major non-NATO ally.

What did China influence to the Philippines? ›

The trade with China was the beginning of a major influence and contribution within the FIlipino culture. One major influence that the Chinese contributed within the culture was culinary arts. Some culinary techniques that the Filipinos were taught include sauteed dishes, rice cakes and noodle dishes(like Pancit!).

Who is the real owner of the West Philippine Sea? ›

The Philippines asserts sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea due to territorial disputes with China, as revealed by sentiment analysis of news articles and Netizens' emotions.

Is the US supporting the Philippines in the South China Sea? ›

The United States stands with its ally, the Philippines, and condemns the dangerous and escalatory actions by the People's Republic of China (PRC) against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the vicinity of Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea on August 31.

Is there a treaty between Philippines and China? ›

Major agreements

In 2009, the Philippines and China signed the Joint Action Plan for Strategic Cooperation, a five-year agreement to increase cooperation in all areas.

Why China and Philippines is fighting about Spratly island? ›

China has asserted that its claim to the Spratlys dates back centuries. The Chinese government has stated that almost the entire South China Sea, including the Spratlys and other island groups, is within its sphere of influence. Those claims have been strongly disputed by the Philippines and Vietnam in particular.

What is the arbitral decision in the Philippines vs China? ›

Eighth Anniversary of the Philippines-PRC South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Ruling. Eight years ago, a unanimous Arbitral Tribunal constituted under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention determined that the People's Republic of China's (PRC) expansive South China Sea maritime claims are inconsistent with international law ...

What is the island fight between China and Philippines? ›

On 19 August, several Chinese and Philippine vessels collided near the shoal in the disputed Spratly Islands - an area rich in oil and gas, which has been claimed by both countries for years.

Who owns the Spratly Islands? ›

China, Taiwan, and Vietnam all claim the islands in their entirety, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. Around 70 disputed islets and reefs in the Spratly Islands are occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Which country rightfully owns the South China Sea? ›

Both the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as Taiwan) claim almost the entire body as their own, demarcating their claims within what is known as the "nine-dash line", which claims overlap with virtually every other country in the region.

Is the South China Sea belong to the Philippines? ›

NO. The South China Sea is a semi-enclosed sea in the western Pacific Ocean The South China Sea lies to the south of China; to the west of the Philippines; to the east of Viet Nam; and to the north of Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Why are there so many Chinese immigrants in the Philippines? ›

Chinese immigration to the Philippines occurred mostly during the Spanish colonization of the islands between the 16th and 19th centuries, attracted by the lucrative trade of the Manila galleons.

What countries are helping the Philippines? ›

Some notable givers of foreign aid in the Philippines are Japan, the United States, Australia, Korea, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). As of 2018, Japan was still the largest source of foreign aid in the Philippines.

Do China and the Philippines have the same time? ›

The Philippines shares the same time zone with China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Western Australia, Brunei, Irkutsk (Russia), Central Indonesia, and most of Mongolia.

How does the Philippines compare to China? ›

Comparison: In 2022, Philippines ranked 37 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 0.71), and 40 in total exports ($110B). That same year, China ranked 22 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 1.12), and 1 in total exports ($3.73T).

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