EU, US reiterate opposition vs China

MANILA, Philippines — The European Union and the United States have reiterated their strong opposition to China’s dangerous and escalatory actions against the Philippines’ lawful operations in the South China Sea.

A Sept. 11 joint statement expressed serious concern about tensions in the East and South China Seas.

The EU and the US reiterated their strong opposition to China’s recent actions that endanger the safety of life at sea and infringe upon freedom of navigation.

“The two sides welcomed diplomatic efforts between the PRC (People’s Republic of China) and the Philippines, yet remained concerned about China’s dangerous and escalatory actions against lawful Philippines’ aerial and maritime operations in the South China Sea,” the statement read.

European External Action Service secretary general Stefano Sannino and US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell held the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth EU-US high-level Consultations on the Indo-Pacific, from Sept. 9-10.

Sannino and Campbell discussed recent EU and US engagement with China and the trajectory of their respective bilateral relationships.

The two sides recalled the June 14 Group of Seven Leaders’ statement, which reaffirmed that there is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea.

In a landmark ruling on July 12, 2016 in favor of the Philippines, the Permanent Court of Arbitration found no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to a “nine-dash line” in the South China Sea, noting that Beijing had breached the sovereign rights of the Philippines.

The arbitral award is “legally binding” and forms a useful basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties, the joint statement read.

Sannino and Campbell confirmed the first-ever EU-US roundtable discussion at the US Indo-Pacific Command.

They also highlighted plans to deepen complementarity between the US SeaVision and EU-funded IORIS systems, which are web-based tools for maritime coordination and information.

The EU and the US will explore the possibility of organizing an EU-US Maritime Security Conference on the Indo-Pacific.

The next round of talks is set to be hosted in Washington in the first half of 2025.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino on Saturday urged the Philippine military’s 107,000 reservists to play an active role in defending and safeguarding the country’s sovereignty amid political tensions and challenges in the West Philippine Sea.

US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson’s “China’s 10-dash line is a mere cartoon” remark made the Chinese embassy in Manila upset, as it insisted that Beijing’s historical claims in the South China Sea are valid.

The 2016 arbitral ruling invalidated China’s historical claims.

China claimed it was the first country that discovered, named, explored and exploited the South China Sea, and the first to exercise sovereignty and jurisdiction over it. — Cecille Suerte Felipe