THE year 2012 saw the Philippines reinforcing its claim to the West Philippine Sea against an aggressive China by seeking all the help it could get, even to the extent of supporting the rearming of the Japanese military.

The West Philippine Sea suddenly became Asia’s biggest flashpoint amid China’s increasingly aggressive stance in claiming disputed but resource-rich territories there.

In April, Chinese patrol vessels prevented the Philippine Navy from arresting a group of Chinese fishermen poaching at the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, which Manila claimed as part of its territory.

Manila said that China has continued to station patrol vessels in the area even after the Philippines withdrew its vessels and called for a peaceful resolution to the dispute according to international law.

Early this month, the Philippines asked China to clarify press reports that Chinese authorities had ordered its forces to interdict ships entering the contested waters.

China maintains that the overlapping claims in the resource-rich region should be discussed by the claimants alone and no outsiders should meddle. The West Philippine Sea is claimed either wholly or in part by the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

China also seeks bilateral talks, as it had opposed discussing the claims with the members of the Association of Southeast Nations as a group.

However, these sentiments of China have not prevented the Philippines from seeking help from its allies within and outside the Asean.

And when China placed the map of the West Philippine Sea in Chinese passports, the Philippines retaliated by declaring that it would not issue visas to such passports.

In a move that is certain to pique China, the Philippines said it would support the rearming of the Japanese military.

China and Japan are also in dispute over islands in the East China Sea controlled by Tokyo.
Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said that the Philippines would welcome a stronger Japan that could balance powers in the West Philippine Sea.

His statement echoed that of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario who said in an interview with the Financial Times that the Philippines would welcome the rearming of Japanese military because it could be a “significant balancing factor.”

“We will welcome a stronger Japan. Together with other partners, they would serve as a balancing act [in the region],”Hernandez said in a press briefing.

Del Rosario’s statement came days before the election of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is committed to reviving Japan’s military and revisiting the country’s pacifist Constitution.

After World War II, Japanese military has been prohibited to wage war against any nations. Its current military forces, called the Japan Self-Defense Forces, is purely for defense purposes and should not interfere in regional security issues.

This came as the Philippines and the United States held its Third Bilateral Strategic Dialogue on December 11 to 12, to revisit their bilateral relations on defense, economic, rule of law and regional and global issues.

Earlier, President Barrack Obama announced a “pivot” in foreign, economic and security policy towards Asia.

The Department of Foreign Affairs led discussions on regional and global issues, while the Trade department headed the group on economic matters. On the other hand, the Department of National Defense headed the issues on security, while the Department of Justice led the discussions on the rule of law.

Carlos Sorreta, the assistant foreign secretary on American affairs, said that both countries were expected to come up with working plans on the implementations of certain agreements.

“We need to transform these political commitments into work plans so that we can be able to implement them,” he added.

Although vague on what exact commitments the Philippines wants from the United States, Sorreta admitted that the territorial issues in the West Philippine Sea was discussed.

But he was also quick to say that the dialogue should “not send wrong signals to anyone.”