MANILA: The Philippines is ready to answer China’s makes an attempt to disrupt its provide missions within the South China Sea and defend its troops stationed within the waterway, a prime safety official mentioned on Wednesday (Apr 3).
Jonathan Malaya, the spokesperson of the National Security Council, mentioned the Philippines is dedicated to sustaining its place on the Second Thomas Shoal and there shall be no let up in resupply missions to Filipino troopers on a grounded warship there.
“Our commitment to maintain BRP Sierra Madre will always be there, so any attempt by China to interfere with resupply missions will be met by the Philippines in a fashion that protects our troops,” Malaya advised a maritime discussion board.
Malaya reiterated that the counter-measures introduced by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr final week in opposition to “aggressive” actions by China’s coastguard shall be “multi-dimensional” and never solely navy in nature.
Part of those measures consists of making “changes and adjustments” to Philippine resupply missions and operations within the South China Sea, Malaya mentioned with out elaborating, citing safety considerations.
Echoing an earlier name by the Philippine defence minister for the general public to not fall sufferer to Chinese propaganda, Malaya warned of “foreign malign influence” meant to weaken the Philippines.
“We have seen that they are working here through their surrogates or if we may call them amplifiers, because there are definitely Chinese narratives which run counter to the truth,” Malaya mentioned.
The Philippines and China have had a sequence of maritime run-ins, together with water cannon use, and heated verbal exchanges that has triggered concern about an escalation at sea.
China claims virtually the whole South China Sea as its territory, policed by an armada of coastguard vessels, some greater than 1,000km from its mainland. China has maintained its responses have been acceptable within the face of Philippine encroachment.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/philippines-south-china-sea-second-thomas-shoal-resupply-missions-4239031
