Last week, a show of force by the Philippine Navy in conjunction with the United States Navy successfully forced an aggressive Chinese Communist Party Coast Guard vessel to back down, after it failed to enforce illegal Chinese claims to the Second Thomas Shoal (known in the Philippines as the Ayungin Shoal), a geological formation within the Philippine’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
The Philippines maintains an outpost on the shoal, where earlier this month the Chinese Coast Guard prevented Philippine resupply efforts by attacking Philippine ships with water cannons and aggressively maneuvering. This brazen act was done in defiance of all agreed upon international law and flew in the face of the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague that China’s extensive claims in the South China Sea were not valid and could not be enforced.
As sworn allies of the Philippines, the United States must not allow China to block resupply of the Second Thomas Shoal in blatant disregard of international law. This would be appeasement. It is clear China does not respect the sovereignty of the Philippines over the Second Thomas Shoal, nor does the People’s Republic of China seem to wish to concern itself with the norms of international law and procedure.
Twice before, China has taken unilateral action to attempt to secure its claims to ownership of the Second Thomas Shoal. In 2014 by blocking supply ships on their way to the Sierra Madre, and again in November of 2021. This pattern of harassment has not yet been halted by toothless condemnations from the United States, therefore we must begin to consider other, more tangible options.
As we did this past week with the presence of a P-8A Poseidon MPA patrolling over the supply ships, we must back our Filipino allies and show them support in whatever way we can, beginning with joint patrols of the Philippines’ territorial waters in conjunction with the Philippine and Australian navies. By sailing together, we show all who wish to infringe upon the Philippine’s sovereignty that they will not be allowed to run roughshod on American allies.
Beyond joint patrols, it is far past time that the Philippines are invited to sit in on future discussions amongst Quadrilateral Security Dialogue countries. Going forward, we should consider expanding the Quad pacts formally, making official the recent participation of South Korea and New Zealand. While also inviting the Philippines so that we have a more holistic group of participants to ensure any discussions revolving around the Indo-Pacific are had amongst stakeholder countries that are also our close allies.
As strong of a message as joint patrols are, our show of support for the Philippines must be multi-faceted. The United States should work to update and strengthen our mutual defense pact with the Philippines, ensuring a new era of cooperation can be formalized and continue the long friendship our two countries have enjoyed.
Finally, the federal government should open bilateral discussions with the Philippines regarding a free trade agreement. Trade binds nations like nothing else, and given our shared ties with the Philippines, a free trade agreement would show that a relationship with the United States must not always be one based on the needs of our armed forces.
As our regional competitors continue to try and undermine our existing alliances and expand their own spheres of influence, it is crucial that we as a nation exploit any and all paths to preserve peace in the Indo-Pacific. By using a mix of both peace through strength, and ties built on trade relationships, we can help to build a more peaceful, unified, and prosperous Blue Continent. Preserving freedom and democracy in the region must be done through all possible means, and I call on the Biden administration to explore several options, such as the ones I have stated here, to achieve this.
James C. Moylan is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and is co-chair of the US-Philippine Friendship Caucus.