MANILA – The defense chiefs of the Philippines, Australia, Japan and the United States have expressed their “continued serious concern” on China’s destabilizing actions in the East China Sea (ECS) and South China Sea (SCS).
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles, Japanese Minister of Defense Nakatani Gen, and United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued the remarks after their meeting in Singapore on Saturday, according to a news release.
“The defense leaders expressed continued serious concern about China’s destabilizing actions in the ECS and the SCS and any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion,” they said in a joint statement.
This marked the fourth defense leaders meeting of the four countries in the last three years, underscoring their sustained collaboration to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“They also reiterated their serious concern about dangerous conduct by China in the SCS against the Philippines and other countries and stressed the importance of the peaceful resolution of disputes,” the joint statement added.
The defense leaders highlighted the importance of upholding international law, freedom of navigation and overflight, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“The defense leaders called for peace and stability in the region. They underscored the importance of the central role of ASEAN and the ASEAN-led regional architecture in ensuring security and stability in the Indo-Pacific Region,” the statement added.
Major developments
The defense chiefs came up with four key developments in their partnership.
— Synchronizing priority defense investments, including infrastructure investments, to support Philippine defense priorities and a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“Together, the installation of Japan-made air surveillance radar systems at Wallace Air Station, the United States’ continued development and integration of air domain sensors at Basa Air Base Command and Control Fusion Center, and Australia’s efforts to support the growing defense infrastructure in the Philippines have collectively helped improve the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ air domain awareness in the SCS. The defense leaders committed to further synchronizing security cooperation to better support air and maritime domain awareness and other defense priorities,” they said.
— Enhancing information-sharing to establish a common operating picture in the SCS and the Indo-Pacific Region.
“They welcomed the recent conclusion of the bilateral General Security of Military Information Agreement between the United States and the Philippines, and noted that Australia and Japan intend to undertake bilateral discussions for similar agreements with the Philippines. They affirmed that these efforts will facilitate greater information-sharing and analysis, including at a combined hub for such purpose,” the statement read.
— Strengthening cybersecurity and resilience by jointly investing in the Philippines’ cybersecurity and resilience for defense, including through existing defense exercises and trainings.
The defense leaders also recognized the importance of cooperation to counter threats to national security posed by malicious actors.
— Increasing operational coordination and interoperability in the Indo-Pacific region for greater deterrence, peace and security.
“Building on the success of past multilateral maritime cooperative activities, they committed to sustaining their participation and expanding the scope and frequency of such engagements with additional like-minded partners. They also reached consensus to explore planning joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities to improve interoperability and coordination on effective maritime and air domain awareness in the ECS, the SCS and surrounding waters,” according to the report.
The defense chiefs recognized the importance of regularly convening meetings at ministerial and officials’ levels to reinforce cooperation and coordination. (PNA)