TRUTH OF CHINA'S 'NEW MODEL' CLAIMS MUST BE LAID BARE

ON Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy in Manila presented what it claimed was a recording of a telephone conversation between an unidentified embassy official and Western Command (Wescom) chief Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos, wherein the latter purportedly agreed to China's "new model" for operations to supply the Philippine outpost on Ayungin Shoal, and confirmed that Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, and Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. all concurred with the plan. The claim by the embassy is alarming in the extreme and may represent the most aggressive move yet by the Chinese government against the Philippines over control of the West Philippine Sea.

The government, of course, was quick to reject the alleged recording as a fabrication, with the National Security Council (NSC) spokesman branding it as "preposterous" and defense chief Teodoro calling it "a devious machination of China." The Department of Foreign Affairs likewise weighed in, saying in a statement that "China should desist from disseminating such disinformation or insinuations against Philippine officials, which create confusion among the Filipino public and distract from the real issues created by China's unfounded claims and illegal and aggressive actions in our waters."

The presentation of the recording and its accompanying transcript on Tuesday was an apparent follow-up to statements made by the Chinese Embassy over the weekend about the alleged conversation. Those statements did not receive much public attention, perhaps because the public has already dismissed such statements as ludicrous and tiresome in their unimaginative repetitiveness, but they did elicit one reaction from the NSC, which said that it saw "no need" to investigate Vice Admiral Carlos over the matter. The recording appearing at the time it did, despite its having supposedly been made more than four months ago and with the subject officer conveniently being away on personal leave, certainly encourages skepticism.

It is our impression that the alleged recording is precisely what the Philippine authorities claim it is: a complete fabrication crafted by an increasingly desperate Chinese government. Besides its all-too-convenient timing, there is a statement from the Department of National Defense, publicly posted on Sunday, May 5, shortly after the initial statements from the embassy, in which Teodoro points out that "I reiterate that I have disallowed any contact between the DND and the Chinese Embassy since the courtesy call of Ambassador Huang Xilian, a few days after I assumed office in July of last year."

The alleged phone conversation and subsequent recording were said by the Chinese Embassy to have taken place on Jan. 2, 2024.

Nevertheless, we strongly disagree with the NSC's view that there is "no need" for an inquiry or questioning of Vice Admiral Carlos because the implications of the recording, whether it is a fabrication or not, are dire. Carlos is the only person on the Philippine side who can irrefutably confirm or deny whether the conversation took place. With all due respect to him and the personal time off that we are sure he deserves, this is a grave matter of national security, and he must be recalled at once to address it.

The need for a full and open investigation is clear and simple. If the recorded conversation is a fabrication, as everyone now presumes, then it represents a dangerously aggressive escalation on China's part, going beyond addressing the facts and circumstances of the West Philippine Sea dispute to making a despicable attempt to destabilize our military chain of command and government. If this is indeed the case, then a much stronger response than the usual diplomatic protests must be made by our government.

If, on the other hand, the recording is revealed to be authentic and the phone conversation between Vice Admiral Carlos and the embassy did take place, that would be equally as alarming as it would show that at least one high-ranking Filipino commander is acting contrary to national policy and his direct orders. To be clear, we have no reason to suspect that is the case; Vice Admiral Carlos has a sterling reputation as a competent, professional commander, and it would be unimaginably shocking to learn otherwise. But there is one sure way to find out, one way or the other, and that inquiry needs to be carried out immediately.

2024-05-08T16:11:20Z dg43tfdfdgfd