“That’s probably a good question for them (China),” US 7th Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Joseph P. Aucoin told a select group of reporters in an interview yesterday while touring USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), the lead ship of the two Blue Ridge-class command ships of the US Navy and command ship of the US 7th Fleet.
The USS Blue Ridge docked in Manila Bay last Friday as part of a routine visit.
“I’ve read the press report about some of the things being put in the island, that adds to the uncertainty and anxiety in this region that is escalating the tension, and I would hope that we would not do anymore of those kinds. We can be more transparent with what we’re trying to achieve,” Aucoin.
China’s claim to most of the South China Sea is a persistent source of tension with five Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam, that claim land and waters in the sea.
Recent reports that China had positioned surface-to-air missile systems in a disputed area in the South China Sea as well as constructing over-the-horizon radar systems have raised fears that Beijing is looking to flex its muscles in the region.
Just recently, it was reported that five China Coast Guard vessels have driven away Filipino fishermen and taken over Quirino Atoll which is 33 nautical miles from Mischief Reef, also a disputed feature in South China Sea where China has carried out extensive land reclamation work and built an artificial island for possible military use.
FIXING UNCERTAINTIES
Aucoin said that in order to reduce the uncertainty in the disputed area and prevent situations such as the recent incident at Quirino Atoll, the US along with China, recently implemented a Code for Unplanned Encounters in the Sea.
“This reduced uncertainties tremendously,” he said. “It’s a very good move by all the countries who agreed to that in the region. I would like to see it applied more to all these types of situations you mentioned, and that would help us relieve some of the tension that we see out in the South China Sea.
Aucoin stressed that all countries who have disputes in the South China Sea need to work collectively together and the first that should be done is to stop land reclamation in contested islands and then for countries involved to state what their intensions are.
The US 7th Fleet Commander also applauded the Philippine government for bringing its dispute with China over the South China Sea to a United Nations-backed Arbitral Tribunal.
He said having a court of law decide on the dispute is “the right way, that is the peaceful way to resolve these disputes.”
DIALOGUE WITH CHINA
With the rising tension in the South China Sea, he disclosed that the US Navy is planning to visit China and hold a dialogue with its Chinese counterparts towards the latter part of this year even as it vows to conduct freedom of navigation operations to ensure security and stability in the region.
Aucoin said such a dialogue wherein the crew of USS Blue Ridge are given the chance to interact with the Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) and the people of China is “tremendous and de-escalates whatever tension there might be.”
“It’s in our best interest to have those kind of dialogue up and down the chain of command to talk about what was decided upon last year on the Code for Unplanned Encounters in the Sea,” he stressed. “Whatever we can do to reduce the tension in this area – that’s the kind of dialogue we would like to have with the PLA later on this year.”
‘HALT AGGRESSIVE ACTIONS’
In Malacañang, Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said there should be a halt to “aggressive actions” that would increase the tensions in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea.
“Deterrence against aggressive actions, not rising tensions, is the country’s primary concern. The Philippines believes that regional stability is achieved when the rule of law is upheld,” Coloma said.
“Hence, we have joined cause with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) in advocating the adoption of a legally binding Code of Conduct on the SCS (South China Sea),” he added.Coloma spoke on the Palace’s desire for regional stability amid reports the United States plans to hold naval exercises with India and Japan near the disputed seas.
The planned naval exercises after China reportedly deployed ships to a disputed atoll off the coast of the Philippines to assert its territorial claim.
Coloma however declined to comment on the naval drills to be initiated by the US since the Philippines is not part of the event.
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