Metro Manila, Philippines — The Australian government reaffirms its support to the ‘assertive transparency initiative’ of the Philippines in relation to maritime claims in the South China Sea.
In an interview with NewsWatch Plus, Australian Ambassador HK Yu maintained that parties can “agree when we can and disagree when we must,” to prevent any conflict in the South China Sea.
Australia is among countries that openly expressed support to the Philippines’ position in the West Philippine Sea and condemns aggressive and illegal behaviors in the area.
“Clearly, the Australian government is supportive of the Philippines’ actions and policies in this front. We are there expressing our support every time there are tensions, there are incidents, we have been one of the first countries to go out and express our support,” she said.
The Australian ambassador reiterated that the South China Sea issue is a matter of great concern for her country.
“Rules-based order should always prevail when it comes to freedom of navigation and overflight. For Australia, we rely heavily on our exports, especially shipping lanes to ensure prosperity for our nation. It’s important that the South China Sea remains open to the global community and ruled by UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” she said.
Permanent Australian Border Force Officer to be posted in Manila
Australia will soon assign in Manila a permanent officer from the Australian Border Force (ABF).
Yu said the ABF officer will closely work with the Philippine Coast Guard.
“At the embassy we will be seeing an increase in our resources with a permanent ABF officer posted in Manila. He can work closely with PCG, so we are doing a whole lot in the maritime security space,” she said.
The ABF is the frontline border law enforcement agency and customs service of Australia. It works closely with other agencies to share knowledge, expertise and intelligence in order to detect, deter and prosecute those who attempt to do harm at the Australian border.
Yu did not elaborate on the kind of cooperation the ABF officer will undertake with the PCG.
