THE People’s Republic of China is eyeing to hold military exercises with its neighbors in a move aimed at rivaling the US’s regular war games with Southeast Asian countries.
The move was pushed by Beijing at the sidelines of the ongoing 10th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Lao PDR, which is also being attended by Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin. The meeting ends on May 27.
Asean defense ministers are meeting in Laos, dubbed as China’s surrogate state, to discuss regional security challenges that include terrorism, instability in the Korean Peninsula and disputes in the South and East China Seas. The latter puts China at the center of the discussion.
Gazmin said during the meeting, China’s Defense Minister Chang Wanquang proposed that cooperation between Beijing and Southeast Asian states should pursue cooperation, especially in the areas of defense and security, wherein they should join China in a military exercise in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea (SCS/WPS).
According to Gazmin, Chang said Beijing and Southeast Asian countries have a “shared destiny.” He reportedly said China is willing and ready to support Asean’s role in the regional security architecture.
In proposing for the holding of war games with the Asean in the SCS/WPS, China wanted to compete or even challenge the regular military exercises that the US is holding with Asean-member states, one of which is with the Philippines.
The US has been regularly holding war games–called “Balikatan”—with the armed forces of the Philippines forces and of fellow Asean-member countries (acting as observers). Australia, Japan and Singapore have also their respective troops participating in the recent Balikatan.
Japan, to note, is also involved in a territorial dispute with China in the East China Sea. The US also conducts military exercises with Malaysia and Singapore.
During the informal meeting, Gazmin reiterated the position of the Philippines that actions of countries, especially in the SCS/WPS, should be guided by the spirit and in conformity with international law.
Gazmin was quoted in a statement as saying the Philippines’s decision to seek arbitration over its maritime territory in the South China Sea “is a clear manifestation of having international law being the anchor of a state’s actions.”
Apparently aiming at China, the defense secretary also stressed that actions of states should be consistent with their policy pronouncements that they are for promoting regional peace and stability.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/china-eyes-war-games-with-asean-members/
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