Gazmin on China threat: Irresponsible

From ABS-CBN (Jul 2): Gazmin on China threat: Irresponsible

Beijing was being "irresponsible" by threatening a "counterstrike" in response to the Philippines' offering its allies access to its air and naval facilities, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Monday.

Gazmin said that while he is not worried about China’s threat, he is exhorting Beijing to be more circumspect and not to resort to intimidation and coercion in settling disputes with the Philippines and its neighbors.

Gazmin issued the statement shortly before flying to Clark air base to attend the celebration of the 66th anniversary of the Philippine Air Force.

On Saturday, the People’s Daily – the mouthpiece of the ruling Chinese Communist Party – said the Philippines was inviting a counterstrike for "provoking" Beijing.

In a commentary, the newspaper also accused the Philippines of making the Association of Southeast Asian Nations an “accomplice” in the “violation” of China’s “sovereignty” over some islets and shoals in the West Philippine Sea.

Gazmin said he agrees with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario’s reprimanding Beijing and reminding it of the preeminence of international law in settling issues.

Del Rosario had also said China’s provocative statement had no place among civilized nations.

DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said China is obliged under international laws, specifically the United Nations Charter, “to pursue a peaceful resolution of disputes – meaning without the use of force or the threat to use force.”

“We call on China to be a responsible member in the community of nations,” Hernandez said.

The People’s Daily said that among the “sins” committed by the Philippines were its “illegal occupation” of the Kalayaan Island Group, inviting foreign companies to engage in oil and gas development in the disputed waters and internationalizing the territorial conflict.

The commentary said that if Manila continues to assert its position on the issue, “a counterstrike will be hard to avoid.”

China, citing what it calls historical facts, has been laying claim to almost the entire South China Sea and West Philippine Sea. Aside from the Philippines and China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims in the potentially resource rich areas in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea.

A senior administration lawmaker, for his part, described China’s “counterstrike” threat as “saber rattling.”

“That’s all there is to it. I don’t think China would want to start a war that may have imponderable consequences,” Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, a member of the House committee on foreign affairs in the 15th Congress, said.

Aggabao said such a counterstrike would, for one thing, inevitably push Japan to rearm.

For another, the US will have a pretext to hasten its “pivot to Asia.”

“In sum, it would not be in the interest of China to strike,” he said.

Mutually beneficial

In a press briefing, DFA’s Hernandez said the Philippines would open its bases to the United States only if it would be sure of benefits. He also stressed that such an arrangement would be in accordance with the Philippine Constitution and pertinent laws.

He said discussions on the matter are ongoing, particularly on an increased rotational presence of US forces in the country.

“We continue to talk and define with the US the parameters of this rotational presence,” Hernandez said.

“Most of the activities now that we have with the US fall under the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA),” he added.

“What is important is whatever policies we are able to negotiate with the US, it should be mutually beneficial for both the Philippines and the US and that is in accordance with our laws, especially with our Constitution,” he added.

While Gazmin announced the country’s readiness to open its bases to allies, he clarified that there is no plan to build new bases just to accommodate the US and other allies, saying the Constitution prohibits it.

Gazmin said the access agreement was brought up during the Two Plus Two ministerial consultations held in Washington last year.

CARAT ends

Meanwhile, the joint Philippine-US naval exercise called Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) ends today.

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman, said that this year’s joint naval exercise has equipped Filipino and US sailors with additional skills and techniques in naval warfare and in dealing with various types of sea- and land-based calamities.

“The key word here is interoperability. We learned from them and they’ve learned from us,” Zagala said.

The joint naval exercise was held barely 20 nautical miles from Panatag Shoal, a rich Filipino fishing ground only 124 nautical miles from mainland Zambales, but which is currently under the de facto control of China.

The Naval Forces Northern Luzon (Navfornol), however, barred the media from covering the actual naval maneuver and directed journalists instead to Subic to cover their land-based joint civic action activities as well as a concert.

Officials who declined to be named said the media restriction was apparently imposed so as not to intimidate China, whose vessels operate unhampered in the area.

Ensign Bernard Sabado, this year’s CARAT spokesman, said today’s closing ceremonies, as decided by both Philippine and US organizers, would be closed to media.

In Oyon Bay in Masinloc, members of a militant group yesterday held a fluvial protest against the presence of US warships taking part in the CARAT joint military exercise.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/01/13/gazmin-china-threat-irresponsible