The United States is “expanding” its maritime activities in the South China Sea, US Ambassador to the Philippines, Mary Kay Carlson told an international media conference in Manila on June 25.
It involves allies in the region, she said, pointing to a series of multilateral maritime cooperative activities in the past year involving the United States, the Philippines, Japan, Australia, Canada, and France.
In April in Honolulu, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin joined counterparts from the Philippines, Japan, and Australia “to reaffirm our shared commitment to international law in the South China Sea and enhanced quadrilateral defense cooperation,” Carlson said.
“Sailing, together with our partners, sends a clear message that we are all committed to upholding the freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law.”
“The Indo-Pacific is the most dynamic and fastest-growing region on earth, and an essential driver of US and global security and prosperity,” Carlson said.
Very Concerning
She called “very concerning” what is happening in the South China Sea, and specifically the West Philippine Sea, the area close to the continental shelf of the Philippines, pointing to “the land reclamation, the expansive claims.”
“It is certainly in our interest to ensure that bullying behavior does not go unchecked, that we check that behavior,” she said.
She mentioned the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the US and the Philippines with projects in nine locations worth about $100 million or P5 billion funding the repair of runways, construction of disaster response, warehouses, and command and control infrastructure, among others.
American Presence
Putting context on the American presence in the country, Carlson pointed to 700,000 Americans living in the Philippines, more than the combined American populations in South Korea and Japan, two of its other key allies in the region. (There are about 4.5 million Filipino Americans in the United States.)
The Indo-Pacific, Carlson said, accounts for 60 percent of global GDP and two-thirds of global economic growth.
Trade between the United States and the Indo-Pacific region reached over $2 trillion in 2023, and the United States benefits from $956 billion in foreign direct investment from the Indo-Pacific.
The United States is one of the Philippines' largest export markets.
In turn, US companies are the highest taxpayers in the country.
Among the largest investors, the American company Frontier Towers has invested almost $2 billion in the telecom sector in just the past three years.
Concentrix is the largest private sector employer in the Philippines, employing over 120,000 Filipinos. Texas Instruments is the largest exporter in the Philippines by dollar value.
Expansive Claims
Approximately 20 percent of the world's backend operations for assembly testing and packaging are made in the Philippines. The industry serves critical US sectors, such as defense and healthcare, the automobile industry, and consumer electronics.
Carlson noted that the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling rejected what she called China’s “expansive South China Sea Maritime claims.” The ruling also proclaimed the disputed area to be a part of the Philippines exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
“We will continue to support the Philippines and other partners on these issues,” she said.
“When the United States sees our partners being bullied in their own backyard, we speak up and we encourage others to speak up as well. And they are doing so. The chorus against threats to peace and stability in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea is growing louder and stronger each day.”
Carlson urged China to cease harassment of Philippine vessels “lawfully operating in the Philippine exclusive economic zones.”
China should “halt its disruption to a state's sovereign rights to explore, utilize, conserve, and manage natural resources in their own Exclusive Economic Zones and to end interference with the freedoms of navigation and overflight of all states,” the US envoy said.
Carlson addressed journalists from over 30 countries during the 2024 East-West Center International Media Conference in Manila.
The conference was co-hosted by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the East-West Center. The Center promotes better relations and understanding in the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue.
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