MANILA, Philippines – Dapat na tapatan at komprontahin na ang China sa agresibong aksyon nito sa South China Sea, kabilang na ang pinakahuling insidente ng pambobomba ng water cannon ng barko ng China sa barko ng Pilipinas.
Kasabay nito, siniguro naman ni Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, commander ng US Navy Seventh Fleet nitong Linggo, Agosto 27, na nakasuporta ito sa Pilipinas sa “shared challenges” ng rehiyon, sa pagsasabing: “My forces are out here for a reason.”
Ang pinakamalaking forward-deployed fleets ng US Navy na Seventh Fleet ay naka-istasyon sa Japan at mayroong 70 barko, 150 eroplano at mahigit 27,000 manlalayag.
Sakop nito ang 124 million square kilometers mula sa mga base nito sa Japan, South Korea at Singapore.
“You have to challenge people I would say operating in a grey zone. When they’re taking a little bit more and more and pushing you, you’ve got to push back, you have to sail and operate,” sinabi ni Thomas sa panayam ng Reuters.
“There’s really no better example of aggressive behavior than the activity on 5 August on the shoal,” dagdag pa niya.
Matatandaang noong Agosto 5 ay binomba ng water cannon ng Chinese coast guard ang barko ng Pilipinas na patungo sana sa BRP Sierra Madre sa Ayungin Shoal para sa resupply mission.
Sinabi naman ni Thomas na nakikipag-usap na ito kay Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, pinuno ng Philippine Western Command na namamahala sa South China Sea, “to understand what his challenges are to find opportunities to be able to help him.”
“We certainly shared challenges. So I wanted to better understand how he views the operations that he’s responsible for. And I want to make sure that he understood what I had available,” ayon kay Thomas, na nasa Manila para sa isang port call.
Nitong Sabado, sumama si Thomas sa flight mula Manila “to go out and check out the South China Sea.” RNT/JGC
