Kamala Harris reaffirms US commitment to PH in defending WPS sovereign rights

SAN FRANCISCO, USA - United States Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday (PH Time) reaffirmed that the US would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Philippines when it comes to defending its territorial rights in the South China Sea.

According to the White House, Harris reiterated the US' commitment during his meeting with President Ferdinand "Bongbong'' Marcos Jr.

Marcos is in San Francisco to participate in the 2023 APEC Summit.

"The Vice President and President Marcos welcomed the historic momentum in US-Philippines ties and emphasized their shared intent to grow and modernize our alliance. The Vice President reiterated [that] the United States stands shoulder-to-shoulder in defending the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the South China Sea,'' the White House said.

Further, Harris also mentioned the US defense commitment under Article IV of the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, which states that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea, would invoke the US mutual defense commitments.

The Philippines refers to portions of the South China Sea as West Philippine Sea.

To recall, the Philippines and the US had established the bilateral defense guidelines between the two countries to modernize the alliance cooperation "for a free and open Indo-Pacific region."

The guidelines "reaffirmed that an armed attack in the Pacific, including anywhere in the South China Sea, on either of their aircraft or armed forces – which includes their Coast Guards – would invoke mutual defense commitments under the 1951 PH-US Mutual Defense Treaty."

Manila and Washington earlier vowed to expand cooperation on maritime security through but not limited to joint patrols.

At present, China has continued its activities and hostile actions in the resource-rich region as it ignores an arbitral ruling invalidating its massive claims in the area.

Illegal structures, reclamations, environmental damage

In Manila, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday called on China to remove illegal structures, cease reclamations and be accountable for environmental damage in the WPS.

In a statement, the DFA said that regular resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal located within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) are legitimate activities, and it will not give prior notification to China.

The Philippines was responding to a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson regarding the Philippines' recent resupply mission.

"We are being asked to give prior notification each time we conduct a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal. We will not do so. The resupply missions are legitimate activities within our EEZ, in accordance with international law," said DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza.

The regular resupply missions support the Philippines' troops stationed in BRP Sierra Madre, an intentionally grounded, dilapidated warship in Ayungin Shoal, which is internationally called Second Thomas Shoal and is known as Renai Reef in China.

The statement was issued days after China Coast Guard (CCG) fired water cannon at a Philippine boat carrying provisions to the Filipino troops in BRP Sierra Madre.

The Philippines has since filed yet another diplomatic protest over the incident. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News