US bares $55-M maritime security fund for PH, other Indo-Pacific nations

The United States has announced a $55-million funding for Indo-Pacific countries, including the Philippines, to help them secure their waters and counter illegal maritime activities that violate international laws.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who co-hosted a maritime ministerial meeting on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, said the fresh financial support from Washington to its partners is crucial in combatting "common maritime threats." American allies, such as the Philippines and Japan, also co-hosted the event.

Some 40 countries that participated in the forum on September 24 tackled a range of maritime security threats that put shipping lanes and critical undersea infrastructure at risk.

The gathering, Rubio said, highlights the growing diplomatic coalition of countries which share America's interest "in strengthening maritime security and preserving vital high seas freedoms from which all nations benefit."

In his remarks, Rubio criticized China's "expansive and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea and the destabilizing ways it attempts to enforce them."

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro in the same meeting urged countries to call out those who disregard international maritime law and engage in aggressive actions that put lives at risk and undermine security of vessels and aircraft.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has developed closer military and defense ties with the US to strengthen the country's external defense, including in the West Philippine Sea, that part of the South China Sea that is nearest to the archipelago.

Chinese Coast Guard, Navy and suspected maritime militia ships have used high-pressure water cannons and dangerous maritime maneuvers to Philippine ships or vessels China has accused of entering its territorial waters illegally.

Close coordination and collective efforts among countries, Rubio stressed, are crucial to reinforce the freedoms of navigation and overflight and free flow of commerce globally.

The new US funding aims to bolster maritime law enforcement capacity of countries in the Indo-Pacific, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Pacific Islands, and maritime South Asian nations.

It is also intended to counter illicit maritime activities, exercise their sovereign rights, and interdict illicit fishing and maritime trafficking operations, said Rubio.

Since 2017, the US has contributed over $1.5 billion in maritime security assistance to the Indo-Pacific. 

It has also conducted over 45 freedom pf navigation operations (FONOPS) in the Indo-Pacific since 2017 to challenge excessive maritime claims and maintain free and open sea-lanes. — VDV, GMA Integrated News