PH Lauds QUAD for Calling Out ‘Dangerous, Provocative Actions’ in SCS

11 Agustus 2025

QUAD (United States, Japan, India, Australia) (image: drishtiias)

MANILA – The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), on Thursday lauded the foreign ministers of the Quad (United States, Japan, India, Australia) for calling out “dangerous and provocative actions” in the South China Sea, including the use of water cannons on vessels.

“By highlighting the continuing dangerous and provocative actions, and the use of force and coercion in the South China Sea, the Quad Foreign Ministers has kept focus on the incidents that the Philippines has regularly contended with in the West Philippine Sea,” the DFA said.

The DFA said this reflects the international community’s “strong objection” to illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea.

“It also underscores the need for the firm adherence to international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which remains the legal framework within which all activities in the ocean and seas must be carried out,” it said.

In a joint statement on July 1, the foreign ministers of the US, Japan, India, and Australia underscored their commitment to advancing a region that is “free from coercion.”

Philippine Navy and Indian Navy when conduct naval exercise last month (photo: PN)

Alluding to activities conducted by China, the grouping said it is concerned over the “dangerous maneuvers by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels, especially the unsafe use of water cannons and ramming or blocking actions in the South China Sea.”

These actions, the four ministers said, “threaten peace and stability in the region.”

Meanwhile, the DFA said it appreciates the Quad Foreign Ministers' unequivocal support for the final and valid 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.

This, it said, further cements the ruling’s status as an unassailable part of the corpus of international law.

“Nine years hence, the Arbitral Award has served as a shining affirmation of the dispute settlement mechanism under UNCLOS, and has been cited by ITLOS (International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea) and the ICJ (International Court of Justice) in their respective legal issuances,” it said.

“Such a landmark ruling under international law deserves full compliance in furtherance of the peaceful settlement of disputes,” it added.

For the Philippines’ part, the DFA said the government would continue to uphold a rules-based order governed by international law, particularly UNCLOS.

The Philippines, it said, would continue to prioritize effective diplomacy and the constructive management of differences in addressing the situation at sea. 

(PNA)