Amid rising tensions between Manila and Beijing over disputed reefs and waters in the South China Sea, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Tuesday that China is the “biggest obstruction” to peace in Southeast Asia.
Teodoro made the remarks at a meeting of the US Indo-Pacific Command following multiple clashes between Philippine and Chinese vessels over the past year.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, rejecting the claims of others, including the Philippines, and ignoring international court rulings that reject its position as legally baseless.
China's claims extend to reefs and waters within the Philippine exclusive economic zone, stretching about 370 kilometers (200 nautical miles) from the Philippine coast.
“China is the biggest obstruction of international peace in the ASEAN region,” Teodoro said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
China has deployed ships to patrol the busy waterway and built militarized artificial islands to bolster its claims.
Teodoro called on other countries to condemn China's “illegal actions” and to pressure it until it stops. “We need a collective agreement and strong condemnation of China,” he said. “We are fighting a stronger enemy.”
His comments came after China said it had taken “control measures” against two Philippine Coast Guard vessels that had entered waters near Sabina Reef in the Spratly Islands, where the Philippine Coast Guard had sent them to deliver food to ships stationed there.
The latest clashes have occurred around Sabina Reef, 90 miles (140 kilometers) west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) from China's Hainan island. Both countries have coast guard vessels stationed at the reef, and Manila fears China plans to build artificial islands there.
Relations between the two countries have been strained as the government of President Ferdinand Marcos has taken a tougher stance against Chinese actions in disputed waters. In June, the Philippine military reported that a sailor lost a thumb in a clash near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, in which the Chinese coast guard seized or destroyed Philippine equipment, including firearms.
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