Ramos was speaking near the end of a trip to Hong Kong undertaken in an attempt to rekindle ties with China, which have been soured by a maritime dispute in the South China Sea.
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The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have competing partial claims and are perturbed by China’s aggressive moves to assert its sovereignty such as by reclaiming islands and building airstrips.
“It’s not getting better in the East China Sea”, Ohtaka added.
Even before the July 12 ruling of the UN-backed tribunal in The Hague was issued over the maritime zone dispute, China has been rallying for support from other countries.
The July 12 ruling by the panel in the Hague, Netherlands, ruled China’s maritime claims had no basis in global law.
Philippine foreign secretary Perfecto Yasay said Thursday Manila and Tokyo shared the same experience of dealing with Beijing’s “intimidation” at sea.
“We invoke and urge China to make sure that maritime security and the rule of law must completely and uncompromisingly be respected”, Yasay said in his statement.
Japan’s foreign minister summoned China’s ambassador this week to lodge a protest over a swarm of Chinese vessels spotted in waters near the islands. Japan is also leasing the Philippines four TD-90 surveillance aircraft.
“Maritime order based on the rule of law is indispensable for regional stability and prosperity”, Kishida told reporters, adding that the worldwide community should strive to ensure that long-seething conflicts are resolved peacefully.
While the territorial dispute has strained ties, new Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has previously said he would seek Chinese help for vital infrastructure projects.
The Gaofen 3 satellite, launched on Wednesday, is equipped with a radar system that captures images from space with a resolution down to 1 metre, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, the body that oversees China’s space programmes.
Meanwhile, Tokyo has disputes with Beijing in the East China Sea, especially the Senkaku Islands.
“Very hospitable – but beyond that very encouraging in that sense the meron tayong [we have] common interest”, the former President said.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.
Ramos served as the Philippine president from 1992 to 1998, the same period when China occupied the Mischief Reef. “If Vietnam’s latest deployment is targeting China, that would be a awful mistake”.
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The United States, a defense treaty ally of the Philippines, has challenged China’s excessive claims with freedom of navigation operations near the artificial islands Beijing has built in the disputed waters.
