European Union special envoy to the Indo-Pacific region, Richard Tibbets, said in an interview with The Associated Press Wednesday, that the 27-nation bloc of countries will be "trying to step up our naval presence" in the South China Sea to maintain free international navigation and respect for international law.
"We really have a strong interest in making sure that freedom of navigation and overflight continues and that the global trading system is not affected by increasing tensions in the region," Tibbets told the AP in Manila, Philippines, where he was meeting the country's foreign defense and coast guard officials. "We will be trying to step up our naval presence."
He said that in addition to increased naval activity, the EU is also ready to provide satellite surveillance of the region to aid in natural disasters and protect their interests as tensions with China increase in the disputed waterway, the report said.
The BBC reported last month that a Chinese naval vessel directed a "military grade" laser at a Filipino coast guard ship on Feb. 6, temporarily blinding crew members on the bridge, and forcing its retreat from the area.
Reuters reported at the time that Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. summoned China’s ambassador to express his "serious concerns" about the incident and ask China to stop its "aggressive activities" on the water.
"We will be trying to encourage and coordinate our member states to continue such naval visits even joint exercises should that be possible," Tibbets said Wednesday. "We’re talking to our like-minded partners. We want to be prepared. We want to work out what would need to be done in case of increasing tensions and that’s quite a [lot of] work going on behind the scenes. But I think you can obviously count on the reaction of like-minded partners being robust should untoward developments happen."
According to the AP, the U.S. has also deployed aircraft carriers, warships, and fighter jets to the disputed waters, generating an angry response from Beijing.
The report said the similar EU presence is designed to promote free navigation and repel pirate attacks on commercial shipping, and could expand east, closer to Asia, "as member states’ naval capacities allow."
Tibbets said the EU supports the efforts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to bargain for a "an acceptable code of conduct" for interacting with China to prevent a potential escalation into armed confrontations.