Australia cannot stay silent on China’s bullying of the Philippines

As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holds talks with US President Joe Biden, it’s time for Australia to lead in the Indo-Pacific with an unequivocal statement on China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea, and a promise of joint patrols with the Philippines.

Albanese’s visit to Washington follows the cancellation of the Quad leaders meeting due to US internal instability. While the prime minister’s communications team may lament the missed opportunity for a snap of the leaders in front of the Sydney Opera House, there are many more effective ways to demonstrate regional leadership. Albanese’s visit to the White House is one such opportunity with the US under pressure abroad and its allies and partners engaged in conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.

All this comes as questions are being raised in the US about the viability of the AUKUS submarine deal, which Mr Albanese must be hoping to quell. It is within this context that America’s ally, the Philippines, has again come under pressure through China’s increasingly aggressive tactics within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). And Australia should be unequivocal in its statement that China’s aggressive actions are unacceptable. With Australia’s US ally stretched from Europe to the Middle East, it’s time for Australia to step up and lead in its own backyard.

Like clockwork, on Sunday the Chinese Coast Guard again attempted to blockade a resupply vessel en route to the deteriorating Philippine Navy vessel, BRP Sierra Madre, that is beached on Second Thomas Shoal. The dangerous manoeuvring of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel, increasingly a staple of maritime operations in the South China Sea, resulted in a collision with the contracted resupply vessel. During the same mission, a Chinese maritime militia vessel rammed a Philippines Coast Guard patrol vessel. While thankfully there do not appear to be any injuries, this increasingly dangerous cat-and-mouse game on the high seas is undermining the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. Both are central to Australia’s own maritime security.

China’s aggressive actions within the Philippine EEZ are not new, but the escalating nature of the aggression should be a cause for concern for Australia. In February, a Chinese Coast Guard ship reportedly shone a military grade laser a number of times into the bridge of a Philippine resupply vessel. In August, the Sierra Madre resupply mission again featured in global news with images of a Chinese vessel water cannoning the small Philippine vessel.