3 Quad members, senators hit China’s Ayungin blockade

By Malou Talosig-Bartolome @maloutalosig & Butch Fernandez @butchfBM

THE United States, Australia and Japan -- three members of the Quad -- immediately called out China for blocking and firing water cannon on a Philippine Coast Guard resupply mission off the Ayungin Shoal in West Philippine Sea.

R elatedly, senators also slammed Beijing’s latest action, saying it bolstered the need for the resolution they unanimously adopted last week, calling on the Executive to push back against China for the constant bullying of Philippine forces and fishermen despite a 2016 arbitral ruling voiding its “excessive” claims in the South China Sea.

The United States reaffirms an armed attack on Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forces— including those of its Coast Guard in the South China Sea—would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S. Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty,” Matthew Miller, US State Department spokesman, said in a statement on Sunday.

I n May, the Philippines and the US agreed that an armed attack on Coast Guards on either side can be a trigger to invoke the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.

J apanese ambassador to Manila Koshikawa Kazuhiko also condemned China’s actions as “totally unacceptable.”

“ Totally unacceptable any harassment & actions which infringe on lawful activities of the sea and endanger the navigational safety. We strongly support PH’s position; upholding maritime order based on UNCLOS & 2016 Arbitral Award,” Koshikawa tweeted.

H K Yu PSM, Australia’s ambassador to Manila, likewise expressed support to Manila in the face of what she called “dangerous and destabilizing” actions against the Philippines.

Australia is concerned by the latest actions directed against the Philippines, which are dangerous and destabilizing. We reiterate our call for peace, stability, and respect for UNCLOS in the South China Sea - a vital international waterway,” Am - bassador Yu said in her X (formerly Twitter) post.

T he US State Department released its statement Sunday noon (Saturday 11pm Washington DC time).

It came only a few hours after the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard made public the harassment of their crew on the way to Ayungin Shoal (international name: Second Thomas Shoal).

T he whole statement reads:

The United States stands with our Philippine allies in the face of dangerous actions by the Coast Guard and maritime militia of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to obstruct an August 5 Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. Firing water cannons and employing unsafe blocking maneuvers, PRC ships interfered with the Philippines’ lawful exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and jeopardized the safety of the Philippine vessels and crew.

Such actions by the PRC are inconsistent with international law and are the latest in repeated threats to the status quo in the South China Sea, directly threatening regional peace and stability. By impeding necessary provisions from reaching the Filipino service members stationed at Second Thomas Shoal, the PRC has also undertaken unwarranted interference in lawful Philippine maritime operations.

As made clear by an international tribunal’s legally binding decision issued in July 2016, the PRC has no lawful claim to the maritime area around Second Thomas Shoal, which is located well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

“ The United States reiterates, pursuant to the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, the arbitral decision is final and legally binding on the PRC and the Philippines. The United States calls upon the PRC to abide by the arbitral ruling as well as to respect the freedom of navigation – a right to which all states are entitled.

“ The United States reaffirms an armed attack on Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forces— including those of its Coast Guard in the South China Sea—would invoke US mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S. Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.

Senators slam water cannon attack SENATORS on Sunday slammed the latest incident of Chinese harassment of a Philippine resupply boat in Ayungin Shoal, calling it the best justification for pushing hard with a resolution adopted last week prodding the Executive to take more decisive action to stop the relentless bullying. S enate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, one of two main authors of Senate Resolution 718, said the incident “is yet again a manifestation of its ‘might vs. right’ treatment of its peaceful neighbors.”

Zubiri lamented: “By its actions, it shows diplomatic duplicity, of preaching about amity, but practicing hostile behavior.”

T his incident reaffirms, he said, “the merit of the resolution the Senate has unanimously passed,” referring to Senate Resolution 718 which Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros had also coauthored.

T he resolution passed unanimously, but gave the Executive the flexibility to determine the exact action to take to push back against China, instead of just the simple call, as Senator Hontiveros earlier pitched, to elevate the matter to the UN General Assembly.

For her part, Hontiveros said: “The Chinese Coast Guard has absolutely no right to block, let alone water cannon, our supply vessels. Wala silang karapatang gutumin ang mga Pilipino sa Ayungin Shoal.”

I also hope our country can start joint patrols with other claimant countries in the SCS, such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. We must stand together to stop China’s aggressive actions.”

T his developed as Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. in a separate statement said, “it would do well for China to remind its subjects to respect the sovereign rights of the Philippines and the internationally recognized right of freedom of navigation.”

He added: “China’s bullying only promotes discord and instability, which does not do well for regional peace and harmony. We have long advocated for a coexistence built on respect and amity. And with this incident, we must put our foot down and draw the line where the safety and interest of our countrymen are endangered.”