AFP ‘not threatened’ by Chinese live fire drills
The Armed Forces of the Philippines does not see the live fire military drills China conducted in the South China Sea on Tuesday as a threat, saying it is the right of any sovereign nation to conduct ‘exercises that they think are relevant to their own security interests.’
At the same time, AFP spokesman Colonel Restituto Padilla said they welcome the Supreme Court order to explain the questioned military drills it conducted with Japan recently because it would allow government, through the Department of National Defense, ‘to clarify certain activities we conduct with other countries.’
China’€™s defense ministry on Tuesday announced the live-ammunition drills, which involved more than 100 ships, dozens of aircraft, information warfare units as well as the nuclear force, although it did not specify where the exercise took place.
However, Padilla said the drills appeared to have taken place in international waters and not within territory being claimed by the Philippines.
He said it was natural for the Chinese exercises to be criticized as muscle-flexing, saying ‘€œany kind of military exercise is always subject to the interpretation of an outsider,€ but in the AFP’s view, ‘€œthat being their right, puwede nilang gawin ‘€˜yun (they can do that),€ so long as they do not violate any code of conduct or intrude into other country’€™s territory.
Nevertheless, Padilla said this is why the Philippines has been ‘very transparent’ and invites observers to its military exercises to prove ‘€œthat what we are doing is aboveboard and that we’re not threatening anyone.’
This, too, he added, is why Southeast Asian countries as well as the United States have been encouraging China to be transparent with its military exercises “so that all of their motives, all of their activities, will not be questioned.â€
He added this is a protocol militaries of €œthe ‘community of nations’€ is ‘€œtrying to establish.’
Citing the US-initiated Rim of the Pacific exercise, Padilla said China was invited ‘€œfor transparency purposes. So, having initiated that action in agreement with all other allies, we are hoping that other nations, China included, will be as transparent … so that there are better opportunities for discussion and dialogue instead of no connection at all.’
Although Padilla was confident China would not carry out exercises in disputed territory, he said the AFP is capable of monitoring any such event.
The AFP spokesman also maintained that the military exercises with Japan were conducted in international waters and not within Philippine territory and, thus, did not violate any laws despite the absence of any status of forces or visiting forces agreement with the Japanese like the ones with the US and Australia.
He added that port visits by the Japanese are not prohibited by law.
While declining to detail how the DND would explain the exercises with Japan, Padilla said ‘€œthe most
important consideration ‘na dapat iniisip din natinay ‘yung (and which we should also think of is) national interest. Ano po ba ang mas makakabuti sabayang Pilipinas at saka sa mga kababayan natin (What is best for the Philippine and for our people).’
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