Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. and United States Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III met on the sidelines of the 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue Photo from PCOO.

By Manuel Mogato | Date 06-7-2024

Singapore — United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has reiterated Washington’s ironclad commitment to Manila under a 1951 security treaty, expressing concern about Beijing’s continued harassment in the West Philippine Sea.

Austin held bilateral talks with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. at the sidelines of the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore.

“The harassment that the Philippines has faced is dangerous — pure and simple,” Austin told Teodoro in a brief meeting.

“We all are interested in ensuring that the South China Sea remains open and free. We are beyond friends and allies; we are family. What affects you affects us.”

For his part, Teodoro expressed deep “appreciation to the US for supporting President Marcos’ thesis which underscores that rights of small states.”

Teodoro also upgraded Austin on the country’s efforts to upgrade its military capabilities under a new strategy called the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept.

Teodoro said there was also a need to deepen and enhance the two allies’ cooperation in the field of cybersecurity and information sharing.

Austin’s assurance came as China stepped up its coercive activities around Scarborough Shoal and the Second Thomas Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, making dangerous maneuvers, blasting water cannons, and ramming smaller and indigenous boats. Some Philippine Navy sailors were injured after high-pressure water broke the supply boat’s windows.

The Shangri-la Dialogue is an annual security conference organized by the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS).

It serves as a venue for defense and military leaders, diplomats, security experts, and practitioners to discuss global and regional security issues, like the Russian invasion of Ukraine and China’s excessive claims in the South China Sea.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr delivered a keynote address, slamming China’s “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive” activities in the country’s maritime zones.

In his speech, Marcos said Southeast Asian states, including the Philippines, had a vision for “peace, stability and prosperity” in the area but this is being undermined by other actors, without naming China.

“Unfortunately, this vision remains a distant reality for now. Illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions continue to violate our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdictions,” he said.

Marcos also said China’s attempts to enforce domestic laws and regulations “beyond one’s territory and jurisdiction violate international law, exacerbate tensions, and undermine regional peace and security.”

China has introduced a new set of regulations, which takes effect on June 15, that calls for the detention of foreigners intruding on its borders. It has also announced a four-month fishing ban in the South China Sea, including parts of the West Philippine Sea from May 1.

In Singapore, Teodoro had met with five other defense ministers, including Anne Collins of New Zealand who said Wellington is “deeply concerned with what is happening in the West Philippine Sea.”

“New Zealand has to engage the Indo-Pacific region,” Collins said. 

“The Philippines is not causing the problem over there,” Teodoro told Collins.

The Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas had offered the Philippines training on cybersecurity.

Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair and Teodoro also affirmed the “long, enduring friendly relations”.

Teodoro thanked South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-Sik, for Seuk’s Korea’s support to the Philippines on the West Philippine Sea issue. Shin expressed South Korea’s desire to foster stronger and forward-looking defense and security relations with the Philippines.

Teodoro and Singaporean defense minister Ng Eng Hen reaffirmed “the broad-based bilateral defense and security relations” of the two countries.

Teodoro and Ng also vowed “to further strengthen their cooperation in areas of mutual interest such as regional security.”

At the Shangri-la Dialogue, Teodoro also met Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission for a Stronger Europe in the World.