Philippines becomes EU's new Asian security anchor to counter growing Chinese influence

Europe is viewing the Philippines as the Asian security anchor as it is bolstering military partnerships with the United States and Japan to counter China's growing influence in the South China Sea. According to the newly published EU-Philippines subcommittee's document on maritime cooperation which was signed in Brussels, Europe is launching a tirade of bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation under the European Union-Philippines Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) to assume a more assertive posture against China in the Indo-Pacific and South China Sea with the help of Philippines.

The archipelagic country in Southeast Asia has adopted a more "pro-Western" stance in securing its regional interests in the maritime region of global importance. Manila and Beijing have been engaged in an age-long geopolitical tussle over the Chinese Coast Guard vessels exerting greater control over the maritime resources and fishing in areas that are contested by the Philippines' military. China lays sovereign claims on almost the entire South China Sea that it dubs its own territory. As it disrupts the Philippines' oil and gas projects in the South China Sea, the latter also approached United Nations Secretary-General for a peaceful resolution of the dispute.

"The EU and the Philippines agreed to continue to work together closely and stand up for the rules-based international order, the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-aggression," European Union stated in the summary document of the bilateral framework. 

EU and the Philippines, in their new dialogue on maritime security, pressed on the need to find peaceful solutions to regional conflicts, while also respecting principles of international law and the UN Charter. In a more "pro-western" voice, the Philippines condemned what it described as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and demanded an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Russian military forces from Kyiv.

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. walks beside the military honour guards in Central Philippines. Credit: AP

US announces military drills with Philippines, Australia and Japan

In a show of defiance against the Chinese military activities in the "international waters," the United States announced that it would hold routine joint South China Sea patrols with the Philippines, as well as the regional allies Australia and Japan. US military has also been conducting "freedom of navigation" exercises in the disputed waters despite China's strong opposition. 

During his rare visit to Manila this week, EU's special envoy to the Indo-Pacific region, Richard Tibbels, unveiled that the EU bloc has a "strong interest in making sure that freedom of navigation and overflight continue and that the global trading system is not affected by increasing tensions in the region." He reiterated that the EU-Philippines Subcommittee on Maritime Cooperation mechanism was established to ensure that the two countries enhance cooperation on maritime matters to counter China's belligerence.

EU and the Philippines discussed the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, as well as cybersecurity, trade, and multilateralism, according to the document released by European Union. Europe also pledged an unwavering commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, including by the Philippines. It called for China to respect the sovereign rights of states within their exclusive economic zones consistent with international law, in particular, with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).