Australia plans to patrol Philippine territorial waters in the South China Sea

He Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Wednesday that his country is studying patrol the territorial waters of the Philippines in the South China Sea with the Asian country, at a time of tension over the territorial dispute between the Chinese regime and the Philippines over the sovereignty over several islands and atolls.

“As countries committed to the rules-based international order, it is natural that we think about ways to cooperate on this issue.Marles said during a press conference in Manila with the Philippine Minister of Defense, Carlito Galvez.

“We have talked about the possibility of studying joint patrols and we hope that we will reach an agreement soon,” added Marles.

The announcement of the negotiations comes at a time of great tension between Beijing and Manila after the continuous raids by Chinese ships in the Spratly Archipelagoin the exclusive economic waters of the Philippines – less than 200 miles from the west coast of the Philippines – which China considers an indissoluble part of its territory for “historical reasons”.

Last week, the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.summoned the Chinese ambassador to the country after the denunciation of the Philippine Coast Guards of the use of a “military” blinding laser against one of their ships in the South China Sea.

The event, which happened on February 6, came four days after the United States, an Australian ally in the region, and the Philippines signed a agreement that guarantees the North American country access for its troops to four new military bases in “strategic” areas of the Philippineswhich China considered “raising tensions in Asia”.

In the context of the aggravated territorial dispute between Beijing and Manila, The Philippine Coast Guard admitted last Monday “to be in advanced talks” with the United States to jointly patrol waters in dispute with China.which would further increase tension in the region.

China and the Philippines are vying for sovereignty over several islands and atolls in the South China Seaof which Beijing claims almost all, disputing part of these territories also with Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei.

While, UNITED STATES and its allies in the region are seeking to counter Beijing’s moves in key waters for global trade and rich in natural resources, amid the struggle between the two countries to increase their influence in the Pacific.

In the meantime, the Philippines has ratified its membership of the Regional Integral Economic Associationl (RCEP), the largest free trade treaty in the world, sponsored by China and signed by 15 Asia-Pacific countrieswhich already covers more than 30% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP).

The Philippine Senate has overwhelmingly approved the country’s inclusion in RCEP, an agreement that includes China and whose not part of the United Statesand which significantly reduces tariff barriers for approximately 90% of goods traded between member countries.

The Minister of Economy, Arsenio Balicasanthanked the Senate for ratifying “a bold and revolutionary agreement” in a tweet posted after the approval.

“Finally, the Philippine Senate has ratified RCEP, another tool for economic growth and including (the Philippines) in emerging Asia,” Balicasan added.

The Philippines is the latest country from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to ratify the trade deal.

The RCEP, which was agreed to by the leaders of 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region in November 2020, only entered into force on the 1st of the year 2022 -tras a decade of negotiations-, and included a third of the world population.

China presents itself as the main signatory of this mega-treatywhich is considered an initiative which was born to thwart the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Treaty (CPTPP), currently made up of 11 countries and then led by the United States.

The approval of the vote (20 votes for, one against and one abstention) had the abstention of the senator Imée Marcosthe sister of the Asian nation’s president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has supported the inclusion of the Philippines in the deal since taking office.

(With information from Europa Press and EFE)

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