Philippines changes defense strategy amid conflict with China
Philippine Defense Minister Gilbert Teodoro (photo: flickr.com/isdr)
Philippine Defense Minister Gilbert Teodoro has ordered the military to apply a new strategy to protect the country's territory and economic interests after the latest clash with Chinese ships.
“We are developing our capability to protect and secure our entire territory and Exclusive Economic Zone in order to ensure that our people and all the generations of Filipinos to come shall freely reap and enjoy the bounties of the natural resources that are rightfully ours,” Teodoro said.
Background
Earlier this week, four Filipino servicemen were injured after two Chinese coast guard ships used water cannons against a vessel chartered by the Philippine military for a resupply operation.
Manila said that the Philippine and Chinese ships collided when the Chinese vessels made "dangerous blocking maneuvers".
The Philippines and China are protesting against trade after another ship collision.
New Philippine strategy
According to the newspaper, the comprehensive archipelago defense concept presented by the Defense Secretary in January is part of efforts to modernize the military capabilities of Southeast Asian countries and coordinate government efforts to provide Philippine citizens and companies and government-authorized persons with the opportunity to explore natural resources within the EEZ without hindrance.
In a statement by the Philippine Presidential Liaison Office, President Ferdinand Marcos said that this strategy was adopted by the presidential administration as part of its whole-of-government approach to resolving the maritime dispute with China.
"This is a strategic action and will not need constant directives to carry out," Teodoro said.
As we reported earlier, the administration of US President Joe Biden plans to allocate more than $7 billion to finance three Pacific island states with which the United States maintains economic and defense ties.
With this decision, the US wants to reduce China's influence in the region.
Earlier, we wrote that China has intensified its military operations against Taiwan in the "gray zone," saturating the areas around the island with balloons, drones, and civilian vessels.
In this way, Beijing is trying to exhaust the enemy on the eve of a potential open war.
