The Philippines was absent from this week’s World Naval Symposium being held in China, coinciding with the annual joint military exercises between Southeast Asian countries and the United States.
The coastal city of Qingdao in China is hosting the biennial Western Pacific Naval Symposium, which will continue until Wednesday (April 24th).
This year, out of the 30 Western Pacific countries attending the symposium, 29 participated, but the Philippines, as a member country, did not send a representative.
Admiral Stephen Koehler led the U.S. delegation to the symposium, while Russia was represented by Admiral Alexander Moiseyev.
The Filipino military has yet to provide a reason for not sending a representative to this forum organized by China.
The timing of the meeting overlaps with the “Balikatan” joint military exercises between the United States and the Philippines. As Beijing and Manila have territorial disputes in the South China Sea, tensions between the two countries are escalating.
During the opening ceremony on Monday (April 22nd), Vice Chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, reiterated China’s opposition to “naval blockades” and indirectly criticized the cooperation and alliances between Western countries and Indo-Pacific nations.
According to Reuters, there is close attention on how the interactions between the U.S. and China will unfold during this “military diplomacy” event.
With the escalating tensions between China and the Philippines, President Biden and his administration have repeatedly warned that the U.S. has an obligation to defend its oldest treaty ally in Asia if the Philippines were to come under attack.
Lieutenant General William Jurney of the U.S. Marine Corps stated at the opening ceremony of the military exercises in Manila that this large-scale exercise will demonstrate that the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty is “not just a piece of paper.”
General Romeo Brawner, Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, emphasized the importance of maritime cooperation in addressing complex threats to peace and security in the region, stating that the U.S. and the Philippines understand this as coastal countries in the Pacific.
China has strongly criticized the U.S.-Philippines joint military exercises, accusing the Philippines of colluding with countries outside of Asia, particularly the United States and its security partners. China has warned that these exercises may lead to confrontation and destabilize the region.
According to reports from the Filipino military, the combat exercises will involve joint navigation by the U.S., Filipino, and French navies in the disputed waters near Palawan Province in the western Philippines. The joint exercise will include the simulated sinking of an enemy ship and the recapture of an “occupied” island in the northwest waters of the Philippines.