JAPAN has granted the Philippines ¥1.6bil (RM47mil) aimed at beefing up its naval capabilities, a day after Manila said the China Coast Guard had “harassed” its government vessels.
The funds, part of a Japanese regional security assistance programme, will provide more rigid-hulled inflatable boats, coastal radar systems and automatic identification systems to the Philippine Navy, the two sides said.
The package will “contribute to maintaining and strengthening regional security” and “enhance the security of vital sea lanes,” Japan’s embassy said after a meeting between Ambassador Kazuya Endo and Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo.
The Philippines has been upgrading its maritime security assets and boosting ties with allies to counteract Beijing’s aggressive assertion of its claims in the South China Sea.
China claims almost the entire sea, brushing off rival claims and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
On Wednesday, Manila said the China Coast Guard fired water cannon and “sideswiped” a government vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
On the same day, another Chinese “intentionally rammed” a fisheries department vessel near Sabina Shoal, it added. — AFP
