00:00It is possible that China is targeting these aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea
00:07to make the Philippines give up its interests according to an expert.
00:13His request to the government is to expand the defense cooperation of the country,
00:18pointed out by Chino Gaston.
00:23In spite of the bad times,
00:25BRP Teresa Magbanwa continues to monitor the exclusive economic zone near Zambales.
00:31In the past two days,
00:33BRP Magbanwa has been targeting the 70 to 80 nautical miles from the coastline of Zambales.
00:39China Coast Guard Vessel 3103 and its replacement 3304 are facing it.
00:46We are currently sailing within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
00:50We are really standing up against the Chinese unlawful presence here inside the exclusive economic zone
00:57so that China is not legitimized to say that they have the total control of these waters.
01:04In the forum held by the ADR Strathbeys Institute on Philippine-Japan Strategic Cooperation,
01:10former Philippine Navy Admiral and Security Analyst Rommel Jude Ong
01:15on China's tactics in the West Philippine Sea,
01:18aside from sharing the opinion of the people through false information,
01:22it is possible that China is deliberately doing this.
01:26We are currently trying to get the Chinese Embassy to make a statement about these allegations.
01:32If they are able to escalate tension to the point that the target country is willing to give up its national interest
01:43just to avoid further escalation.
01:46And that area I'm worried about in the West Philippine Sea
01:49because sometimes we are focused on the de-escalation,
01:52we are not looking at the big picture which is we are incrementally losing.
01:56One of the so-called solutions to China's grip is the expansion of defense cooperation,
02:03not only in Japan but also in South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia.
02:08On Sunday, President Bongbong Marcos, U.S. President Joseph Biden,
02:14and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru spoke on the phone.
02:18They will discuss the developments in the region and the cooperation of the three countries
02:24following the historic Trilateral Summit in April last year.
02:28Next week, Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi will visit the country
02:34to discuss the political, defense, security, economic, and development cooperation of the two countries.
02:41This is while waiting for the concurrence of the Japanese Parliament
02:46in the Philippine-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement
02:49that will strengthen the defense cooperation of the two countries.
02:53For GMA Integrated News, Chino Gaston, 24 Hours.
03:04For GMA Integrated News, Chino Gaston, 24 Hours.
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