Philippines, Lithuania Deepen Defense Ties Amid China Tensions

Udumbara Udumbara
Jul 4, 2025 - 10:00 Updated: Jul 4, 2025 - 09:54
0
Philippines, Lithuania Deepen Defense Ties Amid China Tensions
.

The Philippines and Lithuania have strengthened security ties in the face of threats from totalitarian states, including communist China, during the first formal visit by the Baltic state’s defense minister to Manila this week.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene visited the headquarters of the Philippine Navy in Manila on July 2, days after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Philippines to boost defense cooperation.
“Level of harassment by Chinese navy in Philippines territorial waters is stunning,” Sakaliene said on social media platform X, following a meeting with Vice Adm. Jose Ezpeleta, the Philippine Navy chief.

She said the two sides engaged in “deep discussion,” which touched upon issues such as common challenges and solutions in maritime security and military acquisitions.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) lays sovereign claims to nearly the entire South China Sea, including the areas claimed by Manila. While a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejected Beijing’s claims, citing the lack of legal or historical basis, the CCP continues to send vessels and military aircraft to disputed waters, escalating regional tensions.
According to the readout from Manila, Ezpeleta and Sakaliene also discussed the possibility of holding joint military drills, conducting cyber defense training, and other potential areas of cooperation between the two nations.

Earlier on July 2, Sakaliene praised the Southeast Asian nation’s “transparent initiative,” saying that it revealed how the Chinese regime is harassing the Philippine Navy and fishermen in their own waters.

Filipino authorities often release images and footage following maritime confrontations with the Chinese regime in the South China Sea.

“I believe that, in this case, revealing to the world how China is harassing the Philippines’ navy and fishermen of the Philippines in their own waters is very important because it shatters the illusion of China being a peaceful and friendly neighbor,” Sakaliene told reporters in Manila.

Video footage of “water cannons being used against the peaceful fishermen” and “ramming the ships of Philippines” in their own waters shows that China does not come in peace, she added.

Sakaliene also voiced her support to former Filipino lawmaker Francis Tolentino, drawing on their shared identity as members of Beijing’s blacklist.

“If [the] senator of [the] Philippines was sanctioned, as I understand, it is also for him being honest and frank about what China is actually doing.”

“Welcome to the club,” she said. “China is gaslighting the world, China is gaslighting the international community, whereas regretfully, in fact, they are violating not only the rights of their own citizens but also violating rights of their neighbors.”

On July 1, Beijing imposed sanctions on Tolentino over what it called “egregious conduct” regarding China-related issues, such as authoring two major laws that codified the Philippines’ maritime claims in the South China Sea.

In response, Tolentino called the sanction a “badge of honor,” affirming his commitment to defending Philippine sovereignty.

According to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Lithuanian minister and other European Union officials were sanctioned in 2021 for backing resolutions criticizing the CCP’s human rights abuses against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Manila has drawn more international support in recent years as it exposes the CCP’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric and actions in the South China Sea.

For example, in 2023, a Chinese coast guard ship shadowed a Philippine vessel after several radio warnings, forcing it to make a dangerous maneuver to avoid collision. The high-seas face-off was part of Manila’s strategy to shed light on the Chinese regime’s growing aggression in the region. Several foreign journalists were invited on board the vessel to document the events.
.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
.
Read More