DND chief backs US exec’s warning vs. China ADIZ in WPS

FILE: Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana during the media briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Monday (June 10, 2019). (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)

MANILA – Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday concurred with the warning of a ranking United States military official saying the air defense identification zone (ADIZ) planned by China in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) “goes against rules-based order”.

“Yes, I agree. First, an ADIZ by China over the entire South China Sea would arrogate unto itself a vast sea considered to be a global commons that has been opened for millennia to all for navigation and fishing,” Lorenzana said in a media statement.

US Pacific Air Forces commander, Gen. Charles Brown earlier said such a move from Beijing would impact not only the United States but all nations in the region.

“Second, it violates the exclusive economic rights of littoral states over their EEZs (exclusive economic zones) under the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) of which China was a signatory. Third, a lot of countries will treat this ADIZ as illegal and violative of international laws,” Lorenzana said.

The UNCLOS provides a framework for the governance of the oceans.

Should the ADIZ be put in place, this would further raise tensions in the region and could trigger miscalculations at sea and in the area, he added.

“It is my fervent hope that China would not proceed with this planned action for the continued peace and stability in the entire South China Sea,” Lorenzana said.