Philippines, Australia Draw Closer With A Joint Eye On China

“Australia and the Philippines are both countries which have shared values and a commitment to the rules-based order, an order which is under pressure in our region,” Merles told a joint news conference.

He noted a“growing volume of activity” between both nations, underpinned by a“great degree of trust that now has significant strategic dimensions to it.” Like America, he said Australia was pursuing different infrastructure projects across the Philippines.

Teodoro condemned what he said was China's“gross violations of international law.” He also scolded China for peddling false narratives and said“their disinformation is as disgusting as their activities.”

While the alliance with Australia and Washington has continued to be strong,“we cannot control the unilateral activities of China,” Teodoro said.

“Hence, the need for deterring China and giving the strong message that their activities will not be tolerated by the international community and not only (by) us, because these are gross violations of international law,” he stressed.

Both governments, the ministers said, adhere to the rules-based order as defined in international law. While China, on the surface, has professed to want to settle the disputes via dialogue,“there is a deficit of trust that they need to overcome,” the Philippine minister said.

The Philippines maintains a military outpost in Ayungin shoal in the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era ship it purposely ran aground there in 1999 to mark its territorial claim. The shoal is within Manila's exclusive economic zone, and it runs regular rotation-and-resupply missions to the ship manned by Filipino marines.

The meeting took place as both countries are undertaking Exercise Alon, involving 3,600 combined personnel, the largest bilateral exercises between the allies designed to put China on notice, experts say.

Separately, Manila regularly conducts joint exercises with the United States, its number one defense ally that has repeatedly said it was prepared to come to the Philippines' aid against China if it invoked a decades-old mutual defense treaty.

Last year, a Filipino sailor was injured when the CCG violently intercepted a Filipino boat near the Sierra Madre. Several firearms owned by the Filipinos were also confiscated by the Chinese.

Sign up for one of our free newsletters

• The Daily Report Start your day right with Asia Times' top stories
• AT Weekly Report A weekly roundup of Asia Times' most-read stories

That incident marked an escalation of Chinese harassment in the region, although Filipino authorities and diplomats have taken steps to de-escalate the tension and prevent a bigger conflict, including a possible shooting war.

Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Philippine Navy's spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said the Chinese buildup around Ayungin was meant as a show of force.

“They are trying to intimidate us. They are trying to coerce us for showing their capability,” Trinidad said.“Are we intimidated? We have never been intimidated.”

The Chinese presence near Ayungin is“illegal”, Trinidad said, stressing that Beijing has made similar actions in Philippine-held features elsewhere in the region.“Their actions are coercive and aggressive,” he said.

Jason Gutierrez was head of Philippine news at BenarNews, an online news service affiliated with Radio Free Asia (RFA), a Washington-based news organization that covered many under-reported countries in the region. A veteran foreign correspondent, he has also worked with The New York Times and Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Sign up here to comment on Asia Times stories Or Sign in to an existing accoun

Thank you for registering!

An account was already registered with this email. Please check your inbox for an authentication link.

• Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
• Click to print (Opens in new window) Print