Manila must boost military capability to meet ‘persistent maritime security challenges’, Delfin Lorenzana says as country receives three Japanese surveillance planes
The territorial dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea remained a security challenge despite an improvement in bilateral ties, the Philippine defence chief said on Monday as he accepted three maritime surveillance planes from Japan.
In a speech at a naval base south of the capital Manila, Delfin Lorenzana said the three Japanese donated second-hand TC90 planes would boost the navy’s capability to gather intelligence in the disputed waterway.
“We must admit that much still has to be done to boost our military capability equipment to meet a number of persistent maritime security challenges,” Lorenzana said, identifying territorial disputes with China, and other countries, over resource-rich areas in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims almost the entire sea, where about US$5 trillion worth of seaborne goods pass every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have conflicting claims.
Tensions between the Philippines and China over the disputed sea have eased since President Rodrigo Duterte came to power in July 2016 and improved relations with Beijing via Chinese trade and investments.
