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☆ China says US has no right to get involved in its problems with Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The United States does not have the right to get involved in problems between China and the Philippines, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday, as tensions simmer over conflicts in disputed waters of the South China Sea. "The U.S. is not party to the South China Sea issue, it has no right to get involved in a problem between China and the Philippines," said ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a regular press briefing when asked about the U.S. saying it will defend the Philippines. China and the Philippines have had several high-profile confrontations in the South China Sea, most notably in disputed waters around the Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands. U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday at the White House that America's commitment to Philippines defence remains "iron-clad," after accusing China of acting "dangerously and unlawfully" in the South China Sea. The guidelines now specifically mention that mutual defence commitments would be invoked if there were an armed attack on either country “anywhere in the South China Sea”.

Persons: Mao Ning, Thomas Shoal, Mao, Joe Biden, Biden, Eduardo Baptista, Bernard Orr, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Michael Perry Organizations: China, Mutual Defence, Mutual, Treaty, South China, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, United States, China, Philippines, South China, South, Spratly, Chinese, Philippine, Manila

☆ Romania detects possible airspace breach during Ukraine drone attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUCHAREST, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Romanian army radars detected a possible breach of national airspace during an overnight Russian drone attack against neighbouring Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, the defence ministry said on Saturday. Fragments of possible Russian drones were found on Romanian territory three separate times this month, underlying the security risks for NATO whose members have a mutual defence commitment. "Up until now there have been no fallen objects identified on national territory. Phone alerts were sent to residents in Tulcea and Galati counties once swarms of drones were detected heading to Ukraine near the Romanian border. NATO and Romanian officials have said there was no evidence that Russian strikes near the border were a deliberate attack on Romania, but called the strikes reckless and destabilising.

Persons: Luiza Ilie, William Maclean Organizations: NATO, Thomson Locations: BUCHAREST, Romanian, Russian, Russia, Ukrainian, Romania, Galati, Tulcea, Ukraine

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives U.S. President Joe Biden at Al Salman Palace upon his arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 15, 2022. Washington could also sweeten any deal by designating Saudi Arabia a Major Non-NATO Ally, a status already given to Israel, the U.S. source said. "Saudi Arabia supports a peace plan for the Palestinians, but this time it wanted something for Saudi Arabia, not just for the Palestinians." SEEKING ISRAELI COMMITMENTSIsrael's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the possibility of a "historic" peace with Saudi Arabia, the heartland of Islam. Yet, even if the U.S, Israel and Saudi Arabia agree, winning support from lawmakers in the U.S. Congress remains a challenge.

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Joe Biden, NATO Ally, Biden, Washington, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Mahmoud Abbas, Jamal Khashoggi, China, Samia Nakhoul, James Mackenzie, Dan Williams, Ali Sawafta, Aziz El Yaacouby, Steve Holland, Matt Spetalnick, Humeyra Pamuk, Patricia Zengerle, Edmund Blair Organizations: Al, Saudi Royal Court, REUTERS Acquire, Defence, NATO, Saudi, U.S, U.S . Navy Fifth, Saudi Arabia, U.S . State Department, U.S . Atomic Energy, Israel's, MbS, Fox, Israel, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, West, Biden's Democratic Party, Washington Post, Congress, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Bandar, Bahrain, Washington, Israel, United States, U.S, Riyadh, Iran, Tehran, Japan, Egypt, West Bank, East Jerusalem, Yemen, Beijing, Dubai, Jerusalmen

☆ What is Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea and why are China and the Philippines disputing it?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Martin Petty | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Philippines coastguard said the mission, approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, showed its determination to maintain a presence at the shoal. Located in the middle of the South China Sea and near shipping lanes carrying an estimated $3.4 trillion of annual commerce, its position is strategic for Beijing. A landmark 2016 ruling on the South China Sea by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which went largely in favour of the Philippines, was not tasked with establishing sovereignty. China has not acknowledged the presence of militia in the South China Sea. The Pentagon stated mutual defence commitments would be invoked over an attack "anywhere in the South China Sea" and that coastguard vessels are among those protected.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Thomas, Marcos, Martin Petty, Sharon Singleton Organizations: SCARBOROUGH, coastguard, China's coastguard, Philippines coastguard, Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, REUTERS, WHO, China's, Mutual, Treaty, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: Philippines, South China, Beijing, Manila, China, Scarborough, Philippine, British, South, Spratly, China's, United States, Washington

☆ Polish experts confirm missile that hit grain facility was Ukrainian - media
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jakub Orzechowski/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsWARSAW, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Polish experts have confirmed that the missile that killed two people at a grain facility in southern Poland in November was fired by Ukraine, Rzeczpospolita daily reported, citing sources. Sources with knowledge of the investigation told Rzeczpospolita that Poland had established that the missile that landed in the village of Przewodow was an S 300 5-W-55 air-defence missile fired from Ukrainian territory. "At that time, the Russian positions were in a place from which no Russian missile could reach Przewodow." Rzeczpospolita reported that the Ukrainian side has not made any material available to Polish investigators. Lapczynski could not immediately be reached for comment and the prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to an emailed request.

Persons: Jakub Orzechowski, Wyborcza.pl, Lapczynski, Alan Charlish, Miral Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Rzeczpospolita, NATO, Russian, Thomson Locations: Przewodow, Poland, Ukraine, Warsaw, Ukrainian

☆ Romania says possible drone fragments found on its territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 13 (Reuters) - Elements of a possible drone were identified on NATO-member Romania's territory, the defence ministry said on Wednesday, following Russian drone attacks on Izmail in southern Ukraine, just across the border. If confirmed, it would be the third time that such fragments have been found on Romanian territory in recent days. "The crew of an IAR 330 Puma helicopter of the Romanian Air Force ... (identified) fragments that could have come from a drone, dispersed over an area of several dozen metres," the defence ministry said in a statement. It said that the fragments were seen in the area of the towns of Nufarul and Victoria, in Tulcea county. Earlier, the defence ministry had said emergency services had received calls about possible cases of drones coming down in the area.

Persons: Alan Charlish, Kevin Liffey Organizations: NATO, Puma, Romanian Air Force, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Romanian, , Nufarul, Victoria, Tulcea county, Warsaw

☆ Romania summons Russian charge d'affaires over drone fragments -Agerpres
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A crater visible at the presumed crash site of a Russian army drone, close to charred tree trunks and a blast area, near Plauru, Tulcea county, Romania, September 7, 2023. Inquam Photos/Ovidiu Micsik via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 10 (Reuters) - Romania's foreign ministry summoned the Russian charge d'affaires after the discovery on Romanian soil of new fragments of a drone similar to those used by the Russian military, the Agerpres website reported on Sunday. On Saturday, Romanian authorities found the second set of drone fragments to have crashed in the NATO member state in a week, amid Russian attacks on Ukraine's river ports, just hundreds of metres from the Romanian border. On Saturday, President Klaus Iohannis said the discovery of the fragments pointed to an unacceptable breach of Romania's air space. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russian strikes near the border were "destabilising" even if there was no indication Russia intended to hit Romania, a NATO member state.

Persons: Micsik, Strategic Affairs Iulian Fota, Klaus Iohannis, Jens Stoltenberg, Alan Charlish, Elaine Hardcastle, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, NATO, Embassy of, Russian Federation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Strategic Affairs, Thomson Locations: Russian, Plauru, Tulcea county, Romania, Romanian, Bucharest, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine's, Constanta, Warsaw

☆ Romania finds new suspected Russian drone fragments on its territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I firmly condemn this incident caused by Russian attacks on Ukrainian Danube river ports." The attacks on Ukraine's river ports, just hundreds of metres from the Romanian border, have increased security risks for NATO whose members have a mutual defence commitment. The defence ministry said Romania's Naval Forces deployed search teams after local authorities alerted them to suspected drone fragments discovered 2.5 km southeast of the village of Plauru, across the Danube from the Ukrainian port of Izmail. Since July, when Moscow abandoned a deal that lifted a de facto Russian blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports, it has repeatedly struck Ukrainian river ports that lie across the Danube from Romania. Ukraine had said on Monday that drones detonated in Romania during an overnight Russian air strike on Ukraine's Izmail, but Romanian officials initially denied the reports before finding fragments on Wednesday.

Persons: Klaus Iohannis, Iohannis, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Ukraine's, Luiza Ilie, Philip Blenkinsop, Ros Russell Organizations: NATO, U.S . State Department, Romania's Naval Forces, Thomson Locations: BUCHAREST, Romania, Ukraine, NATO, Romanian, Russian, Russia, Plauru, Izmail, Moscow, Ukraine's, Constanta, Brussels

☆ German arms maker takes Finland to market court over rifle choice
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Anne Kauranen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A soldier of the special forces unit KSK of Germany's army Bundeswehr holds the Heckler & Koch assault rifle G95/HK416 during a training exercise in Calw, Germany, October 24, 2022. REUTERS/Heiko Becker/File PhotoHELSINKI, Aug 8 (Reuters) - German gun maker Heckler & Koch has filed a complaint with the Finnish Market Court over Finland's direct arms purchase from a local manufacturer, bypassing competition rules, court documents seen by Reuters showed on Tuesday. Finland's defence forces said the procurement followed Finnish and EU exceptions to competition rules on the basis of national security interests. Contacted by Reuters, Heckler & Koch GmbH declined to comment on the proceeding and did not reveal if it had filed a similar complaint in Sweden. The Swedish Market Court or Stockholm's Administrative Court found no pending complaints by the German company in their registries.

Persons: Koch, Heiko Becker, Italy's Beretta, Heckler, Anne Kauranen, Christina Fincher Organizations: Bundeswehr, Heckler, REUTERS, Finnish Market Court, Reuters, EU, Sako, Finnish Defence Forces, RK, AK, Heckler & Koch, Nordic, NATO, Koch, Swedish, Thomson Locations: Calw, Germany, Sweden, Finnish, Sako, Finland, Swedish, Ukraine, Stockholm's

Tensions have soared between the two neighbours over the South China Sea under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with Manila pivoting back to the United States, which supports the Southeast Asian nation in its maritime disputes with China. China's embassy in Manila criticised Washington for "gathering" its allies to continue "hyping up" the South China Sea issue and the boat incident. "South China Sea is not a 'safari park' for countries outside the region to make mischief and sow discord," the embassy said in a statement on Tuesday. The Second Thomas Shoal, which lies within the Philippines exclusive economic zone, is home to a handful of troops living aboard the former warship Sierra Madre. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, which overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Thomas, Thomas Shoal, Erik De Castro, Rommel Ong, Ong, Collin Koh, There's, Koh, Jonathan Malaya, Lloyd Austin, Gilbert Teodoro, Bernadette Baum, Alex Richardson, Sharon Singleton Organizations: South China, coastguard, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Navy, REUTERS, Singapore's, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Philippines National Security Council, China, U.S . Defense, Philippines Defense, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, MANILA, China, Philippines, Manila, South, Philippine, United States, China's, Washington, Sierra Madre, BRP Sierra, Spratly, Beijing, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, U.S, Japan, France

☆ 'Path is open' for Ukraine to join NATO -British defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Gerry Doyle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, June 2 (Reuters) - Britain supports adding Ukraine to NATO and "that path is open" to them, although political realities may slow the process, Defence Minister Ben Wallace said on Friday on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security meetings in Singapore. "The best thing we can do to help Ukraine is now to help them defeat Russia," Wallace said in an interview. Ukraine's membership of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, is on the agenda for the group's July summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Hanna Shelest, director of Ukrainian Prism, a think tank specialising in foreign policy and international security, said in Singapore that NATO membership would be a political decision. "We are not expecting to see a strong decision (about Ukraine’s membership) at Vilnius," said Shelest, who is based in Ukraine.

Persons: Ben Wallace, Wallace, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Hanna Shelest, Shelest, Li Shangfu, Lloyd Austin, Jens Stoltenberg, Gerry Doyle, Kanupriya Kapoor, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: NATO, Defence, Atlantic Treaty Organisation, Kyiv, Storm, U.S, Defense, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Britain, Ukraine, Singapore, Russia, Vilnius, Lithuania, Ukrainian, Moscow, London, Asia, United States, Australia, China

☆ The US will battle its rivals in outer space if it has to, senior military official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US is gearing up for a potential battle in outer space, according to a top official. The military "is ready to fight tonight in space if we have to," Brigadier general Jesse Morehouse said Thursday. "The United States of America is ready to fight tonight in space if we have to," brigadier general Jesse Morehouse of the US Space Command told reporters. Leaked US intel documents seen by The Washington Post last month showed that the military believes Russia's space program is declining – but China's could "hold key US and Allied space assets at risk." Military strategists believe that any possible space war would involve countries attacking each other's satellites in a bid to cripple key infrastructure, because of the bodies' role in defense communications and navigation.

☆ Why have the United States and Philippines issued defence treaty guidelines?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Martin Petty | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

May 4 (Reuters) - The United States and the Philippines have agreed on new guidelines for their 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, following multiple requests by Manila to make clear the conditions under which Washington would come to its defence. Though the United States has reassured the Philippines their defence partnership is "ironclad", Manila has argued the seven-decade-old treaty needs updating to reflect a different global security environment. Guidelines issued by the Pentagon now specifically mention that mutual defence commitments would be invoked if there were an armed attack on either country "anywhere in the South China Sea". Another addition specifies that coast guard vessels are among those protected. Some analysts have argued the Philippines and United States were better served by a more ambiguous mutual defence treaty.

☆ Philippines' Marcos to seek specifics from Biden on US defence commitment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Marcos will hold talks with Biden in Washington this weekend, a meeting the White House said would reaffirm its "ironclad commitments to the defence of the Philippines". "It (the treaty) needs to adjust because of the changes in the situation we are facing in the South China Sea, Taiwan, North Korea," Marcos said in a radio interview. China, however, says the pact with the United States is stoking the fire of regional tensions. Marcos on Monday said he and Biden should discuss what exactly their alliance entails and how to manage tension with China. Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Relations between Taiwan and the United States
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here are some facts about the relationship between Taiwan and the United States. * During the height of the Cold War, Taiwan hosted U.S. military bases and the two had a Mutual Defence Treaty. * In 1979, the United States severed official relations with the government in Taipei and instead recognised the government in Beijing. * Post-1979, the U.S. relationship with Taiwan has been governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, which gives a legal basis to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, but does not mandate that the United States come to Taiwan's aid if attacked. * The United States retains a large de facto embassy in Taipei called the American Institute in Taiwan, staffed by diplomats.

☆ Russia warns Armenia against allying with ICC after Putin arrest warrant - RIA
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - Russia has warned Armenia of "serious consequences" if it submits to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which has issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, the RIA news agency reported on Monday. The ICC issued the warrant this month, accusing Putin of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine, a move condemned by the Kremlin as a meaningless and outrageously partisan decision. RIA, a state Russian news agency, cited a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying that Moscow regarded Armenia's ICC plans as "unacceptable". The ICC warrant has the potential to complicate Putin's global travel plans if a country he wants to travel to is an official party to the Rome Statute. Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ President Marcos says Philippines 'will not lose an inch' of territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Philippines to uphold territorial sovereignty -MarcosChina's actions insufficient to invoke defence treaty with U.S.MANILA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Saturday that the country "will not lose an inch" of territory, his remarks coming on the heels of continuing maritime tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea. "This country will not lose an inch of its territory. We will continue to uphold our territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with our constitution and with international law. However, Marcos sees the laser pointing incident as insufficient to invoke a mutual defence treaty with United States, a longstanding ally. China's recent actions came just a month after Marcos' state visit to Beijing, where the two countries pledged to handle disputes peacefully and boost cooperation.

☆ Finland to stick with Sweden in NATO bid, hopes for green light by July
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Essi Lehto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A view of the flags of Finland, NATO and Sweden during a ceremony to mark Sweden's and Finland's application for membership in Brussels, Belgium, May 18, 2022. Sweden and Finland applied last year to join NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but Turkey raised objections. "Our strong wish is still to join NATO together with Sweden," Haavisto told a news conference in Helsinki. But Haavisto said he still hoped Finland and Sweden would become NATO members in the next few months. But Haavisto said security assurances from the United States, Britain and other NATO members meant that Finland could be patient.

☆ U.S. forces launch space unit in South Korea amid North's growing threats
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Forces Korea launched a new space forces unit on Wednesday as the allies ramp up efforts to better counter North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats. The U.S. Space Forces Korea is the second overseas space component of the U.S. Space Force and is tasked with monitoring, detecting and tracking incoming missiles, as well as bolstering the military's overall space capability. South Korea's air force also set up its own space unit this month to bolster its space power and operation capability together with the U.S. Space Force. Beijing has warned Seoul against joining a U.S.-led global missile shield, and criticised the THAAD U.S. missile defence system installed in South Korea. Seoul's defence ministry said the creation of the U.S. space component had nothing to do with South Korea's participation in existing missile defence programmes.

☆ Azerbaijan cancels Armenia talks, says Macron cannot take part
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Aliyev said Macron had "attacked" and "insulted" Baku and should not act as a go-between. Each side accused the other of triggering the latest bout of fighting, in which Armenia said Azerbaijan had seized settlements inside its borders. "Macron ... attacked Azerbaijan and accused us in what we haven't done," Aliyev said, speaking in English at a conference with international representatives in Baku. "It is clear that under these circumstances, with this attitude, France cannot be part of the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia." A spokesperson said Azerbaijan's assertion that Yerevan was trying to disrupt peace talks "has nothing to do with reality," the Interfax news agency reported.

☆ Home to 28,000 U.S. troops, S.Korea unlikely to avoid a Taiwan conflict
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

China is South Korea's largest economic partner, and Seoul could find itself on the literal front lines of any regional military conflict. But when asked whether South Korea will help the United States if China attacks Taiwan, Yoon did not directly answer. South Korean troops fought alongside Americans in Vietnam and supported the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but questions of future involvement are up to South Korea alone, LaCamera said. In response, South Korean Vice Defence Minister Shin Beom-chul told broadcaster MBC that there had been no such discussions between Washington and Seoul. Cho said North Korea could support China in a Taiwan conflict by launching an attack on South Korea, or simply use the conflict as a chance to push forward with its nuclear or missile development.

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