China’s use of force against the Philippines “especially troubling”
July 20, 2011
Senator Jim Webb, chair of the East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, today called for the State Department to clarify U.S. treaty commitments to come to the aid of the Philippines in light of recent reports of China’s use of force in the South China Sea.
“Repeated actions by Chinese government vessels against the Philippines raise serious questions about the circumstances under which our treaty commitments apply,” Senator Webb wrote in a letter to State Department Legal Advisor Harold Koh. “Our transparency on this matter is of great importance to our ally, the Philippines, and to the entire Southeast Asian region.”
In February 2011, four Philippine fishing vessels were harassed by Chinese naval vessels near the Jackson Atoll in the Spratly Islands. In March, the Government of the Philippines reported that maritime security vessels from China attempted to ram one of its surveillance ships in the Reed Bank, only 80 nautical miles from the Philippine island of Palawan and over 500 nautical miles from China.
Last month, the Senate unanimously approved Senator Webb’s resolution deploring the use of force by China in the South China Sea and calling for a peaceful, multilateral resolution to maritime territorial disputes in Southeast Asia. Senator Webb has expressed concerns over sovereignty issues in this region for more than fifteen years. His first hearing upon assuming chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee was on maritime territorial disputes and sovereignty issues in Asia in July 2009.
The full text of the letter is below:
July 19, 2011
The Honorable Harold H. Koh
Legal Advisor
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Mr. Koh:
Over a number of years, China has been asserting maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea in an increasingly aggressive manner, at times directly confronting other Southeast Asian claimants to these territories. Recent reports that it has used force against the Philippines in contested maritime territories are especially troubling. For example, in February 2011, four Philippine fishing vessels were harassed by Chinese naval vessels near the Jackson Atoll in the Spratly Islands, and in March 2011, the Government of the Philippines reported that maritime security vessels from China attempted to ram one of its surveillance ships in the Reed Bank, only 80 nautical miles from the Philippine island of Palawan and over 500 nautical miles from China.
As Philippines Foreign Minister Albert F. del Rosario recently pointed out, these repeated actions by Chinese government vessels against the Philippines raise serious questions about the circumstances under which our treaty commitments apply. Last year following the collision of a Chinese fishing vessel with two Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats, Secretary Clinton came forward with an explicit statement that the Senkaku Islands are covered by the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between Japan and the United States.
Given these recent incidents, I would like to request a legal clarification of the U.S. commitments to come to the aid of the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America, signed on August 30, 1951. Our transparency on this matter is of great importance to our ally, the Philippines, and to the entire Southeast Asian region.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Jim Webb
United States Senator
“Repeated actions by Chinese government vessels against the Philippines raise serious questions about the circumstances under which our treaty commitments apply,” Senator Webb wrote in a letter to State Department Legal Advisor Harold Koh. “Our transparency on this matter is of great importance to our ally, the Philippines, and to the entire Southeast Asian region.”
In February 2011, four Philippine fishing vessels were harassed by Chinese naval vessels near the Jackson Atoll in the Spratly Islands. In March, the Government of the Philippines reported that maritime security vessels from China attempted to ram one of its surveillance ships in the Reed Bank, only 80 nautical miles from the Philippine island of Palawan and over 500 nautical miles from China.
Last month, the Senate unanimously approved Senator Webb’s resolution deploring the use of force by China in the South China Sea and calling for a peaceful, multilateral resolution to maritime territorial disputes in Southeast Asia. Senator Webb has expressed concerns over sovereignty issues in this region for more than fifteen years. His first hearing upon assuming chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee was on maritime territorial disputes and sovereignty issues in Asia in July 2009.
The full text of the letter is below:
July 19, 2011
The Honorable Harold H. Koh
Legal Advisor
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Mr. Koh:
Over a number of years, China has been asserting maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea in an increasingly aggressive manner, at times directly confronting other Southeast Asian claimants to these territories. Recent reports that it has used force against the Philippines in contested maritime territories are especially troubling. For example, in February 2011, four Philippine fishing vessels were harassed by Chinese naval vessels near the Jackson Atoll in the Spratly Islands, and in March 2011, the Government of the Philippines reported that maritime security vessels from China attempted to ram one of its surveillance ships in the Reed Bank, only 80 nautical miles from the Philippine island of Palawan and over 500 nautical miles from China.
As Philippines Foreign Minister Albert F. del Rosario recently pointed out, these repeated actions by Chinese government vessels against the Philippines raise serious questions about the circumstances under which our treaty commitments apply. Last year following the collision of a Chinese fishing vessel with two Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats, Secretary Clinton came forward with an explicit statement that the Senkaku Islands are covered by the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between Japan and the United States.
Given these recent incidents, I would like to request a legal clarification of the U.S. commitments to come to the aid of the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America, signed on August 30, 1951. Our transparency on this matter is of great importance to our ally, the Philippines, and to the entire Southeast Asian region.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Jim Webb
United States Senator
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