MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine defense chief said Tuesday that China is the “biggest disruptor” to peace in Southeast Asia and called for stronger international condemnation of Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, a day after China blocked a Philippine vessel from transporting food to a coast guard ship at Sabina Reef.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. was speaking at an international military conference in Manila hosted by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command amid escalating conflict between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea and its airspace.
Teodoro told a conference attended by US and allied military officials and senior diplomats that China was the “greatest destroyer of international peace” in Southeast Asia.
Speaking to reporters later on the sidelines of the meeting, he said statements from the international community expressing concern about China's increasingly assertive behaviour in disputed waters and elsewhere were “not enough.”
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said Tuesday that international expressions of concern over China's increasingly assertive actions are “not enough.” Aaron Favila/AP
“The answer is stronger multilateral collective action against China,” Teodoro said, adding that diplomats and defense officials should decide on such strong measures.
Pressed by reporters for more specifics, Teodoro said a U.N. Security Council condemnation of Chinese aggression and an order to stop it would be a strong step, but acknowledged it would be difficult to pursue. “The world is not that perfect,” Teodoro said.
There was no immediate reaction from Chinese authorities.
China, along with geopolitical rival the United States, is one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council and has the power to veto such hostile measures.
Teodoro said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had “taken note” of China's aggressive actions but should do more. The group of 10 Southeast Asian nations includes the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as China and Taiwan, which have overlapping claimants in the South China Sea.
“For ASEAN to maintain its relevance and credibility, it 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 sent 40 “excessive forces” to block two Philippine ships attempting to deliver food and other supplies to Manila's largest coast guard vessel at the disputed Sabina Reef, marking the latest escalation in a territorial dispute in the busy shipping lane.
China and the Philippines blamed each other on Monday for a clash on Sabina Reef, an uninhabited atoll claimed by both countries, the latest flashpoint in the most hotly contested part of the Spratly Islands, a vital global trade and security route.
China and the Philippines have separately sent coast guard vessels to Sabina Island in recent months over suspicions that the other side has taken control of the fishing atoll and may build structures there.
Hostilities between China and the Philippines have been particularly escalating since last year, with Monday's clash marking the sixth reported by the two countries in international waters and in the air. The clash has raised fears of a larger conflict that could involve the United States, the Philippines' longtime treaty ally.
Sabina is near Second Thomas Shoal, another tension zone where China has been blocking deliveries of supplies to Philippine troops aboard the long-stranded naval vessel BRP Sierra Madre. Last month, China and the Philippines reached an agreement to prevent an increasingly hostile standoff at Second Thomas Shoal, and a week later allowed Philippine ships to transport food without hostility.
The Philippine Coast Guard said 31 Chinese coast guard and navy vessels, as well as suspected militia vessels, illegally obstructed transportation operations at Sabina Reef on Monday, including serving ice cream to the crew of the BRP Teresa Magbanua, as the Philippines commemorated National Heroes Day.
The Philippine Coast Guard said it “remains committed to safeguarding national interests and ensuring the safety and security of our maritime areas” and urged the Chinese Coast Guard to “abide by international law and cease deployment of maritime forces that may undermine the mutual respect that is the universally recognized foundation of responsible and friendly relations between our coast guards.”
In Beijing, the Chinese coast guard said it had taken control measures against two Philippine coast guard vessels that had “intruded” into waters near Sabina Reef. The statement said the Philippine ships had repeatedly approached the Chinese coast guard vessels, escalating the situation. The Chinese coast guard did not say what control measures it had taken.
China is rapidly expanding its military and strengthening its territorial claims in the South China Sea, which it claims over almost the entire area. Tensions have led to frequent clashes, primarily with the Philippines, but the long-running territorial dispute also involves other claimants, including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
The Japanese government also lodged a protest with Beijing on Tuesday after a Chinese reconnaissance plane violated Japanese airspace, forcing fighter jets to be scrambled.
