The Philippines Wants A Wider Interpretation Of Defense Pact With The United States

Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro. (Wikimedia Commons/Presidential Communications Office)

JAKARTA - The Philippine defense agreement with the United States must be interpreted more widely to deal with a "dynamic and cunning enemy", the country's defense minister said Tuesday, after a recent meeting between Manila and Beijing over the South China Sea.

Manila and Washington are bound by the 1951 Joint Defense Treaty (MDT), which can be used in the event of an armed attack on Philippine troops, public ships, or aircraft in the South China Sea.

While the United States has assured its oldest ally in Asia that their defense partnership is "strong", Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro called for the pact to be made "more dynamic" to avoid falling into the "Chinese trap".

Speaking on the sidelines of a military forum organized by the United States Indo-Pacific Command, Defense Minister Teodoro said partners were discussing the possibility.

"The collective defense agreement must be interpreted dynamically," he said in the forum.

"And the biggest danger for us is to narrow our operational limitations, which may be against what the aggressor candidates do as he develops," he said.

He also urged regional countries to rebuke China, which he described as "the biggest peace disturbance", for its activities on the busy waterway.

"I'm sure they won't be blocked because it's just a matter of getting consensus around the world," he said.

He added that it is very important for the Philippines, both in cooperation and in itself, to create sufficient military precautions to show China that they are serious in protecting their sovereignty and will fight for it.

Defense Minister Teodoro's remarks followed a series of maritime and air confrontations between the two countries in the South China Sea in the past week, as Beijing confirmed its claim to the waterway and Manila continued to carry out supply missions to its occupied territory.

US escorts for Philippine ships on a resupply mission in the South China Sea are "a fully reasonable choice", the head of US Indo-Pacific Command said on Tuesday.

However, this option must go through consultation between the two countries, US Indo-Pacific Command Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo told reporters on the sidelines of the forum.

It is known, the Bamboo Curtain Country claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including areas claimed by Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Beijing has deployed a fleet of ships to protect its claims.

In 2016, an international arbitration court ruled that Beijing's claim had no international legal basis in an important victory for the Philippines, which filed the case. Beijing rejected the decision.