G7 hits China’s coercive actions in South China Sea

The Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, and the high representative of the European Union (EU) reiterated their commitment to a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region, based on respect for the rule of law and sovereignty.

In a statement issued on Saturday after their meeting at the Munich Security Conference, the G7 foreign ministers “strongly opposed any attempts to change unilaterally the status quo using force and underscored the importance of resolving disputes peacefully.”

In November, the G7 foreign ministers expressed deep concern over China’s increasing use of dangerous maneuvers and water cannons against Philippine and Vietnamese vessels, denouncing its repeated obstruction of countries’ freedom of navigation and overflight.

They said they remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas, reiterating the G7 democracies’ strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion and declaring there is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea.

PCG ship confronts CCG

Over the weekend, a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship confronted a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel off the coast of Zambales despite rough sea conditions.

According to Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman on West Philippine Sea (WPS) issues, the BRP Cabra shadowed the 134-meter-long CCG vessel with bow number 5303 despite waves reaching eight feet.

The Chinese ship replaced CCG-3103 on Saturday to continue China’s illegal patrol in the area, Tarriela said.

“The crew aboard BRP Cabra remains steadfast in their mission to assert the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela said.

He added that the Cabra’s crew members are committed to pushing CCG-5303 further away from the Philippine coastline while “meticulously documenting the People’s Republic of China’s illegal and escalatory actions.”

As of Saturday evening, the CCG-5303 had been pushed back to approximately 95 nautical miles from the coast of Zambales.

‘Philippines not expansionist’

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) made it clear that the country is not an expansionist state and is only defending its own territory.

AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Padilla made the remark in an interview yesterday with dzBB, after China’s Southern Theater Command spokesperson Tian Junli criticized the Philippines for working with other countries on joint patrols.

“The good to thing to note here is that our country – we are not expansionists. We do not encroach on other countries’ properties. We are merely defending our own territory pursuant to international laws,” Padilla said.

“International law has defined the jurisdiction of this exclusive economic zone, which we are defending. We are not expanding to other areas,” the AFP spokesperson added.

Naval and air force assets from the United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines sailed the West Philippine Sea together on Feb. 5, as part of the sixth Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity – this year’s first under the new Trump administration.

Warships and air assets from the four participating nations carried out drills and interoperability exercises just a day after the Philippine Air Force and the US Pacific Air Forces also held a joint air patrol and air intercept training event in the area near the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, utilizing two B-1 bombers and three FA-50 fighter jets.

AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said this latest combined military exercise demonstrates “a collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.” — Pia Lee-Brago, Mark Ernest Villeza