Another VFA? China's actions show why, says Teodoro
MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro Jr. said that Manila’s growing defense partnerships are helping “expose” Beijing’s expansionist ambitions in the South China Sea, as the Philippines signed its fifth Visiting Forces Agreement — this time with Canada.
“Definitely, it has an impact,” Teodoro told reporters when asked whether these alliances have made a difference amid Beijing’s persistent harassment of Philippine vessels. “It serves to put to light the true intentions of China. It is not pacific at all. Peace-loving — and yet they do this? That is the reality people should see.”
The Philippines now has VFAs signed with the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Canada, alliances that Teodoro believes are tangible support from like-minded countries supporting the rule of law in the region.
Manila's agreements with New Zealand and Canada have not yet entered into force, as they require both the president's ratification and Senate concurrence.
On Sunday, Teodoro accused China of masking its global ambitions with rhetoric about peace and cooperation, saying its actions from “the Baltics to the Pacific Islands, Australia, and even South America” show otherwise.
“So who is hegemonic? Who wants to expand their power across the world? China,” the DND secretary said in mixed English and Filipino. “That’s fine with us, as long as they don’t interfere here. What we are asking is that they leave the West Philippine Sea — that’s 800 kilometers away from them.”
China has recently stepped up its patrols and restricted Philippine vessels' access to Scarborough Shoal amid its plans to put up a "nature reserve" over a large swath of the atoll.
This area, Teodoro noted, is an artisanal fishing ground that international law says no country can barricade as theirs exclusively.
“That’s a violation,” he said. “Of course, there will be a proper response.”
The VFA with Canada, signed in Manila yesterday by Teodoro and Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty, allows both countries’ troops to train and operate on each other’s soil. It also opens the door to joint exercises and disaster response cooperation, according to officials.
Beijing has repeatedly denounced the Philippines’ joint patrols with its allies in the West Philippine Sea as “provocative,” while Manila maintains that the operations are lawful and conducted within its exclusive economic zone.
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