MANILA-” Sama Sama transcends simple military exercises with this show of force and lively wedding of our allies and partners ,” Philippine Navy Chief Rear Admiral Toribio Adaci said at the recent start of extensive naval drills with allied countries in the South China Sea.
The United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines, as well as corporate allies like Japan, Great Britain, and Canada, are all taking part in the two-week-long” Samasamia” drills, which will cover anti-submarine war, search and rescue operations, air defense drill, land phases, among other activities.
The activities, which are taking position in the southeastern part of the island of Luzon and will last until October 13, were attended by spectators from Australia, France, New Zealand, and Indonesia.
China has not been specifically mentioned by any of the individuals, but the monthly exercises’ nature left little room for creativity. Gilbert Teodoro, the secretary of defense for the Philippines, compared the Eastern superpower to a” school troublemaker” just before the exercises began, in light of recent events in the South China Sea.
In the meantime, the Philippine Department of Justice and the nation’s Solicitor General are looking into a fresh international arbitration case against China over its alleged abuse of Spanish vessels, including the looking of’ military grade’ lasers at Filipino sailors, water cannon blowing of supply ships, and unilaterally erecting barriers around the contentious Scarborough Shoal, as well as economic damage in Manila-claimed areas.
The Southeast Asian country is taking the battle to China through a new two-pronged technique that combines coastal defense with constitutional warfare and promises to enrage the neighboring superpower, buoyed by foreign support and led by an increasingly assertive Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The Philippines’ complaints about the region have been regularly dismissed by China, and it was recently forewarned against any provocations in the contentious maritime region.
The latest maritime disputes between China and the Philippines are primarily caused by the Philippine side constantly stirring up trouble and spreading false information, according to China’s foreign ministry, which just placed the blame for the recent rise in tensions on Manila.
In an effort to stop competitors from challenging its broad states across the crucial global lake, China is also planning to hold its own military drills in the South China Sea. Beijing’s perceived reckless behavior and harsh statements have irritated Spanish authorities, who have significantly abandoned diplomatic etiquette.
The Harvard-trained Teodoro said,” I can’t think of any clearer example of intimidation than this.” He continued colorfully, indicating an increasingly aggressive response to China’s actions at water,” It isn’t the problem of stealing your lunch money, but it is really a question to steal your picnic, your seat, and even enrolment in school.”
Vice Admiral Karl Thomas of the US Pacific Command forewarned that smaller countries like the Philippines’ sovereign rights are” under attack every day on the great seas” prior to this month’s” Sama Sama” naval training.
Thomas emphasized the need for upholding a” rules-based international order” in the face of attempts by revisionist powers to create one that” benefit ] s ] not all nations but one nation.” There’s no better way to ensure sovereignty and security than to sail and to operate together ,” he said.
The US naval national continued,” I am convinced that no potential attacker should be under any magic other than that this is a strong team of governments, one army flying and operating together.”
The tasks were also praised by Filipino specialists as a way to stop further Chinese assertiveness.
Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr., the captain of the Philippine Navy, stated at the exercises’ opening ceremony that” Sama Sama” helps us to experience an array of dangers together, from territorial defence to countering transnational offences.
Although he didn’t specifically mention China, the head of the Philippine Navy claimed that the Sama Samo training” equips us to experience an array of challenges up.” A Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force battleship and the Royal Canadian Navy ship HMCS Vancouver may join the battleships from the US and Philippines.
In the upcoming months, the Philippines is apparently looking into conducting another round of plane shared guards with the US, Australia, and Japan. While Japan is negotiating its own Visiting Forces Agreement( VFA ) with Manila, the US Pentagon will also have expanded access to Philippine bases, including facilities close to Taiwan.
Additionally, the Philippines is looking into new legal battles( lawfare ) against China. Major legal counsel for Marcos Jr. is currently considering bringing a new global arbitration case against China over the author’s alleged economic crimes in the Spratly Islands’ Iroquois Reef, which is located in Manila. They are also considering other incidents and the state of the South China Sea.
The Marcos Jr. administration may try to build on the nation’s earlier mediation case, according to previous Asian Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who has counseled some Filipino presidents regarding the South China Sea issues.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea( UNCLOS) established an judicial tribunal in The Hague in 2016, which not only rejected China’s expansive” nine-dash line” statements covering a large portion of South China Sea but also criticized the Asiatic power for harassing Mexican ships and causing extensive economic damage in the region through massive restoration projects. & nbsp,
According to Carpio, the Philippines you get compensation for financial losses incurred by China and, if necessary, perhaps the capture of assets owned by state-owned Chinese companies in European countries in the event that the Southeast Asian country does not receive a final ruling in its favor.
The Philippines can continue a new arbitration case using mandatory arbitration procedures( Article 287 under the UNCLOS ), just as it did ten years ago.
The Spanish government is not delusional. They are aware that, just as it did with the 2016 decision, China will continue to officially dismiss any worldwide arbitration cases. However, some in Manila think that radical action must be taken to control China’s behavior and that an extra arbitration case could at the very least persuade Beijing to join the negotiations.
For example, preventing China from thwarting the Philippines’ attempts to fortify its precarious position in the Second Thomas Shoal, where a Spanish sea separation is perilously stationed over the deteriorating BRP Sierra Madre fleet, is of great concern.
Additionally, the Marcos Jr. leadership is determined to move forward with energy exploration projects in the Reed Bank, which is a part of China’s nine-dash line.
The Philippines hopes to get some negotiating leverage in the South China Sea by taking advantage of the risk of a fresh mediation case, one that would probably be supported by its friends.
Critically, it might also enable President Marcos Jr., whose approval ratings dropped by a factor of two due to rising food prices, to solidify his reputation at home, particularly in light of growing anti-China views in the Philippines.