MANILA: The potential purchase of F-16 jets by the Philippines from the US doesn’t hurt the pursuits of any third get together, together with China, a Philippine safety official mentioned on Thursday (Apr 3).
Nationwide Safety Council spokesperson Jonathan Malaya assured China the deliberate acquisition just isn’t meant as a risk to any nation and is merely a part of the Philippines’ efforts to modernise its navy.
“We want to guarantee the Individuals’s Republic of China that the deliberate procurement of the F-16 fighter jets to the Philippine arsenal doesn’t in any method hurt the curiosity of any third get together,” Malaya advised a briefing.
The US Division of Protection’s Protection Safety Cooperation Company mentioned on Tuesday that the State Division had accredited a doable international navy sale to the Philippines of 20 F-16 planes for an estimated price of US$5.58 billion.
The plane would increase the Philippine navy’s potential to patrol its territory and enhance interoperability between their militaries, the Pentagon mentioned.
Malaya mentioned the US authorities has not formally communicated the approval to the Philippines.
The announcement got here after US Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Manila final week, the place he reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad” dedication to its mutual defence treaty with the Philippines and pledged to deploy superior capabilities to strengthen deterrence in opposition to threats, together with Chinese language “aggression”.
On Wednesday, China warned Manila in opposition to the acquisition, saying that the Philippines was “threatening” regional peace.
“The Philippines’ defence and safety cooperation with different international locations shouldn’t goal any third get together or hurt the pursuits of a 3rd get together. Nor ought to it threaten regional peace and safety or exacerbate regional tensions,” international ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun mentioned.
China has expansive territorial claims within the South China Sea that overlap with the unique financial zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
In 2016, a world arbitral tribunal dominated that China’s claims haven’t any foundation underneath worldwide legislation, a ruling Beijing doesn’t recognise.
