Bilateral Foreign Ministers' Call... Expressing Concern Over Chinese Ship Gathering
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The United States and the Philippines have expressed concerns over the large number of Chinese vessels anchored in the disputed South China Sea and reaffirmed their cooperation under the mutual defense treaty.
On the 8th (local time), major foreign media reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin held a phone call to discuss measures regarding the situation where over 200 Chinese vessels are anchored in the South China Sea.
Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, stated, "The two secretaries jointly expressed their shared concerns regarding the gathering of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PRC) maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea," and emphasized, "They reiterated calls for the People's Liberation Army to comply with the 2016 arbitration ruling."
Price further noted that the two secretaries "reconfirmed that the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty applies to this matter."
The Philippines has indicated that it may request assistance from the United States, with whom it has a mutual defense treaty, concerning this situation.
Arsenio Andolong, spokesperson for the Philippine Department of National Defense, issued a statement saying, "We are keeping all options open, including cooperating with the United States and other countries for situation management."
He added, "We are continuously engaging in dialogue with the United States regarding mutual defense."
Earlier, over 200 Chinese vessels have been anchored since the end of last year at Whitsun Reef, located within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the disputed South China Sea. This has led to tensions with neighboring countries contesting sovereignty over the surrounding waters.
In particular, the Philippines has strongly demanded that China immediately withdraw its vessels from the reef area. According to Philippine authorities, Chinese militia are reportedly aboard these vessels.
On the other hand, China continues to assert its sovereignty over this area. It also claims that there are no militia on these vessels and that they are anchored to avoid rough seas.
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