Admiral Samuel J Locklear III (right) shakes hands with General Jessie Dellosa, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Philippines, after the annual meeting of the two countries’ mutual defence board in Manila yesterday.
MANILA: The United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) yesterday reiterated its commitment to protect freedom of navigation and stressed that the territorial row in the South China Sea should be addressed peacefully.
“We would ensure that there is access, (there is) freedom of navigation,” USPACOM commander Admiral Samuel Locklear said in a press conference in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Locklear said the US has been pursuing such freedom globally amid territorial claims by some countries.
“Around the globe there are nations who, according to what we believe are the international norms and what’s laid out in the UN (United Nations) law of the sea convention, (that have excessive maritime claims,” Locklear said.
“The first way you do that is to do it legally and to make sure that the legal community understands that those claims are excessive. Then we continue to make sure that the US military operates in a way that ensures our freedom of navigation where we chose to go.”
Locklear is in the country to attend the meeting of the Mutual Defence Board, which culminated yesterday.
The board consists of military officials from US and the Philippines.
Concerns about the freedom of navigation in the region have been raised due to the supposed aggressive actions of China, which has been perceived as a rival of the US.
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea while the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims.
One of China’s actions that raised concerns in the region is its continued presence in the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, which is well within the Philippine territory.
The shoal is located 124 nautical miles from the nearest base point in Zambales and is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical miles exclusive economic zone.
China started to occupy the area in April 10 when its surveillance vessels barred the Philippine Navy from arresting Chinese fishermen who had poached endangered marine species in the shoal. Latest reports from Philippine authorities said at least three Chinese ships are still in the area.
Another controversial action of China is its supposed plan to interdict ships that enter what it considers its territory in the South China Sea.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the coastal border defence regulation promulgated by Hainan province allows law enforcement over fishing boats in waters under its jurisdiction.
The Philippine star
