US and Philippines concerned about Chinese ships operating in the East Sea
The White House said that in a phone call yesterday (March 31), the national security advisers of the United States and the Philippines discussed common concerns about China's activities in the East Sea.
The Philippines described the appearance of hundreds of Chinese ships at Ba Dau Rock, part of Sinh Ton Island cluster in the Truong Sa archipelago (under Vietnam's sovereignty) as "overwhelming and threatening".
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| Satellite images show a large number of Chinese ships anchored at Ba Dau Reef. Photo: Maxar |
The Philippines said the ships belonged to China's maritime militia, while China said the ships had to take shelter there due to rough seas and there were no militia on board.
The White House said that US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Philippine National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon “agreed that the two sides will continue to cooperate closely to address challenges in the East Sea.”
“Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized that the United States will stand side by side with its ally the Philippines in maintaining the rules-based international maritime order, and reaffirmed the applicability of the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty in the South China Sea.”
Canada, Australia, Japan and many other countries also expressed concern about China's unusual behavior at Ba Dau Rock./.