(Hanoi = Yonhap News) Correspondent Jinhyeong Park = As the Philippines faces a confrontation with China in the South China Sea, the Philippines, which is geographically close to Taiwan, is seeking to strengthen cooperation with Taiwan to protect submarine cables and respond to 'gray zone tactics'.
According to Reuters on the 23rd (local time), Felipe Carino, deputy ambassador to the Philippine Embassy in the United States, said this at a seminar at the Washington think tank Center for a New American Security (CNAS) on the 21st, saying that the two countries need cooperation to protect common interests at sea.
Deputy Ambassador Carino emphasized that almost all data movement between continents is carried out through undersea cables, and that the security of undersea cables is very important.
“These facilities are very important assets that must be protected, and that is why we are seeking closer cooperation with our friends in Taiwan,” he said, “despite our ‘one China’ policy.”
He went on to say that the two countries are seeking "practical and realistic approaches to cooperation, including knowledge sharing and capacity building," and added, "We believe this cooperation will go towards solving 'gray area' issues in our region."
Gray zone tactics refer to acts of provocation and pressure on the opponent in a non-military or paramilitary manner without going to the level of an all-out war.
When asked whether cooperation between the two countries could include joint maritime patrols or holding accountable ships that interfere with communications, Deputy Ambassador Carino said he was not aware of the specifics, but said, "This cooperation is continuously evolving, and some of the things mentioned may actually come true."
However, he did not specifically name China as the target of cooperation between the two countries.
Yang Yi-san, deputy representative of Taiwan's Economic and Cultural Mission to the United States (TECRO), also announced at the same event that his country would invest more resources into developing unmanned systems to strengthen its maritime surveillance capabilities.
Deputy Representative Yang mentioned the case of a Chinese captain being imprisoned in Taiwan on charges of damaging an undersea cable, and added that the United Nations should consider establishing a mechanism to prevent undersea cable sabotage.
Previously, in February last year, Taiwanese authorities arrested and indicted Chinese captain Wang Yuliang for cutting an undersea cable by operating a cargo ship in nearby waters, and Wang was sentenced to three years in prison.
According to Taiwanese authorities, there have been a series of cases in which submarine cables connecting Taiwan and the outside world are suspected to have been damaged by Chinese ships, with 36 incidents of submarine cable damage occurring in waters around Taiwan over the four years from 2019 to 2023.
The Philippines and Taiwan, which are both under pressure from China, have recently been strengthening their security and defense cooperation.
Last month, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Jia-long said that the country was in the process of establishing the Philippines' second quasi-diplomatic representative body in the southern Cebu region, following the Philippine capital Manila.
Also, at the end of last month, the Taiwan Coast Guard's retired 600-ton class patrol ship Kinmen was transferred to the Philippine Coast Guard through a private organization, and the Philippines renamed the ship Sarangani and began operating it. It is reported that this is the first time defense equipment has been exchanged between the two countries.
Subsequently, the Taiwan Coast Guard recently deployed a liaison officer to the Philippine mission in Taipei to take charge of communication between the two sides.
