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☆ South China Sea: Philippines accuses Chinese maritime militia of destroying coral reefs near Palawan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Philippine Coast Guard/FacebookTarriela said between August 9 and September 11, the coast guard monitored 33 Chinese vessels within the vicinity of Rozul Reef and around 15 Chinese ships near Escoda Shoal. The UP Marine Science Institute found vibrant corals in the Rozul (Iroquios) Reef in the South China Sea in May 2021. At least two foreign ambassadors in Manila have expressed alarm over reports of destruction of marine resources in the South China Sea. The grounded Philippine navy ship Sierra Madre, which Manila uses to stake its territorial claims at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea, as pictured on April 23, 2023. Under current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the country’s National Security Team began to publicize its findings about what was actually happening in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea more regularly, Powell said.

Persons: Jay Tarriela, ” Tarriela, Facebook Tarriela, Tarriela, Mao Ning, “, ”, Gerry Arances, Arances, Ray Powell, SeaLight, Powell, Philippines MaryKay Carlson, Kazuhiko Koshikawa, Rodrigo Duterte, Shoal, Ted Aljibe, Thomas Shoal, Ferdinand Marcos Jr Organizations: CNN, Philippine Coast Guard, Chinese Maritime Militia, Facebook, Philippine, Spratly Islands, Philippine coastguard, University of, Philippines Marine Science Institute, country’s National Security Council, Scientific, UP Marine Science Institute, Marine Science, CNN Philippines, Center for Energy, coastguard, National Security, Stanford University, The, United, Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, Asia, Transparency Initiative, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, National Security Team, West Philippine, South China Locations: South, Philippines, China, Sabina, South China, Palawan, Beijing, Philippine, Rozul, Escoda Shoal, ” Beijing, China’s, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, The Hague, West Philippine, United States, Indonesia, Vietnam, The Philippines, Manila, Sierra, Spratly, AFP, BRP Sierra, Sierra Madre, West

☆ Philippines Weighs Legal Options Against China Over Coral Reef 'Destruction'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Neil Jerome MoralesMANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines is exploring legal options against China accusing it of destruction of coral reefs within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, an allegation rejected by Beijing as an attempt to "create political drama". The Philippines is studying the possibility of filing a second legal case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Hague, Guevarra said on Friday. Manila refers to the part of the South China Sea that it claims as the West Philippine Sea. China, which has refused to recognise the 2016 ruling and has chafed at repeated mention of the case by Western powers, denied the latest claims of destruction of coral reefs. Coral in the South China Sea has been used for limestone and construction materials, traditional medicines and even souvenirs and jewellery.

Persons: Neil Jerome Morales MANILA, General Menardo Guevarra, Guevarra, China's, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Mao Ning, Neil Jerome Morales, Martin Petty, Christopher Cushing Organizations: China, Reuters, South China, West, Department of Foreign Affairs, Reed Bank Locations: Philippines, South China, Beijing, Spratly, Hague, West Philippine, Manila, South, China, Vietnam, Malaysia

CNN —The Philippines has accused Chinese vessels of carrying out “dangerous maneuvers” in a disputed area of the South China Sea in the latest maritime flare-up between the two neighbors. It claimed the Chinese boats “jeopardized” the safety of the crew members aboard the Philippine vessels, but did not detail how. It claimed the incident had involved four Chinese coast guard vessels and four Chinese “maritime militia” boats. Western marine security experts believe Beijing controls a maritime militia hundreds of vessels strong that acts as an unofficial – and officially deniable – force to push its territorial claims both in the South China Sea and beyond. In response to the latest confrontation, the Chinese coast guard issued a statement on Friday, accusing the Philippines of unauthorized entry into the area.

Persons: Thomas, “, Thomas Shoal, Ferdinand Marcos Jr Organizations: CNN, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Court Locations: Philippines, South, Philippine, Ayungin, China, Spratly, Beijing, Thomas Shoal . China, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Manila, BRP Sierra, China’s Nansha, Hague, South China

☆ Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia reject China's latest South China Sea map
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It was not immediately clear whether the latest map denotes any new claim to territory. Its Malaysian counterpart in a statement said the new map holds no binding authority over Malaysia, which "also views the South China Sea as a complex and sensitive matter". The map was different to a narrower version submitted by China to the United Nations in 2009 of the South China Sea that included its so-called "nine-dash line". Asked about the latest map, Taiwan foreign ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu said Taiwan was "absolutely not a part of the People's Republic of China". "China's position on the South China Sea issue has always been clear.

Persons: legitimise, Jeff Liu, Wang Wenbin, Karen Lema, Ben Blanchard, Liz Lee, Martin Petty Organizations: Philippine Coast Guard, Malaysian, United Nations, South China, China Central Television, Thomson Locations: Thitu, Philippines, Spratly Islands, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, South China, Beijing, Hainan, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia, Philippine, South, People's Republic of China, India, Manila, Taipei

☆ Philippines to resupply South China Sea troops after Beijing's block
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Erik De Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreMANILA, Aug 19 (Reuters) - The Philippine armed forces said on Saturday it would again seek to resupply troops stationed in a rusty World War 2-era ship on a reef in the South China Sea, after China blocked a previous attempt with water cannons. China claims almost all the South China Sea, an assertion rejected internationally, while Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines have various claims to certain areas. The planned resupply mission "is a clear demonstration of our resolve to stand up against threats and coercion, and our commitment in upholding the rule of law", the armed forces said. In 2016, an international arbitration award invalidated China's sweeping claim to almost the entire South China Sea. China, which does not recognise the ruling, has built man-made islands with airstrips and surface-to-air missiles in the South China Sea.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Erik De, Medel Aguilar, Thomas, Aguilar, Neil Jerome Morales, William Mallard Organizations: Philippine Marines, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Navy, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Philippine, Spratly, South, MANILA, South China, China, Manila, Beijing, Philippines, Thomas Shoal, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan

☆ China-Philippines tensions: Is a maritime militia Beijing says doesn't exist causing chaos in the South China Sea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Most of the Chinese ships involved are marked “China Coast Guard,” but among the flotilla are also at least two blue-hulled vessels that resemble fishing boats. After the confrontation last weekend, China claimed the Philippines had violated its sovereignty by grounding the ship on the shoal. That symbiotic relationship became even clearer in 2021 when the China Coast Guard came under the jurisdiction of the Chinese Central Military Commission effectively making it part of Beijing’s military. The Chinese vessels “physically blockaded the supply ship. Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty ImagesChina’s waiting gameAnalysts say they don’t see any appetite in Beijing for actual combat over Second Thomas Shoal, but they also say China can afford to play a waiting game.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Jay Tarriela, Thomas, “, ”, China’s, People’s Liberation Army –, Lyle Morris, CNN ‘, doesn’t, Ray Powell, SeaLight, Powell, Morris, ” Powell, Shoal, Ted Aljibe, Lionel Fatton, ” Washington Organizations: CNN, China Coast Guard, United, “, Philippine Coast Guard, Hague, People’s Liberation Army, PLA Navy, Chinese Central Military Commission, Asia Society, Center for China, National Security, Stanford University, Central Military Commission, US Navy, US Coast Guard, Getty, Webster University Locations: Philippine, South, Philippines, Spratly, United States, Beijing, China, Palawan, Sierra Madre, ”, South China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, Washington, Manila, Sierra, AFP, Switzerland

☆ Philippines says refurbishing grounded ship an option to strengthen hold on disputed shoal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A Philippine flag flutters onboard the BRP Sierra Madre, a marooned transport ship which Philippine Marines used as a military outpost, in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea March 30, 2014. REUTERS/Erik De Castro/File PhotoPUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines Aug 11 (Reuters) - The Philippines is looking at several options to strengthen its hold on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea including refurbishing a grounded and rusting warship it uses as a military outpost, a move that would likely anger Beijing. The Philippines intentionally grounded the World War Two-era warship Sierra Madre in 1999 as part of its sovereignty claim to the Second Thomas Shoal, which lies within its exclusive economic zone, and rotates a handful of troops through the ship. China has urged the Philippines to fulfill a "promise" to tow away the grounded vessel, but Manila denied striking any agreement to abandon the shoal, which it calls Ayungin. The Philippines won an international arbitration award in 2016 against China's South China Sea sovereignty claim, after a tribunal ruled Beijing's sweeping claim had no legal basis, including at the Second Thomas Shoal.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Erik De Castro, Alberto Carlos, Romeo Brawner, Thomas, Ayungin, Carlos, Ramsey Gutierrez, Gutierrez, Karen Lema, Michael Perry Organizations: flutters, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Marines, REUTERS, Philippine Western Command, Chinese Coast Guard, Philippines, China's, Thomson Locations: BRP Sierra, Spratly, South, PRINCESA, Philippines, South China, Beijing, Sierra, China, Manila, Japan, France, South Korea, United States, Philippine, Thomas Shoal . China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia

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

☆ China tells Philippines to remove grounded warship in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING/MANILA, Aug 7 (Reuters) - China told the Philippines on Monday to remove its grounded warship from the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea after blocking two Manila supply ships with water cannons over the weekend as both sides asserted their claims of the area. The Philippines in 1999 intentionally grounded the warship to stake its claim to the Second Thomas Reef, a submerged reef that is part of the Spratly islands in the South China Sea. China over the weekend said it had "indisputable" sovereignty of the area and urged the Philippines to stop infringing activities in this waters. Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday that the country continued to assert its sovereignty and territorial rights despite challenges in the South China Sea. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and the Spratly island, which consists of many islets, reefs banks and shoals and lie in the centre of South China Sea and along major shipping lanes.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Thomas, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Albee Zhang, Neil Jerome Morales Organizations: China, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, MANILA, China, Philippines, South, Manila, Philippine, Spratly, South China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Beijing

☆ Video Shows China Blasting Water Cannon at Philippines Coast Guard Boat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Philippine Coast Guard has released a video that shows a Chinese Coast Guard vessel firing a water cannon at one of its ships, going public with a new complaint of aggressive behavior from China. Two vessels of the Philippines Coast Guard were on what was supposed to be a normal resupply mission 120 miles off the coast of Palawan, when they ran into a Chinese blockade. After a Chinese vessel fired its water cannon at one Philippine ship, it then moved to block it from advancing. The area is claimed by several countries and has been a site of repeated run-ins between Chinese and Philippine ships. On Monday, China’s Coast Guard released a statement, justifying its move by claiming that the Philippines violated China’s sovereignty and international law and that the Philippine ships had been “lawfully intercepted.”

Persons: Thomas Shoal, ” Organizations: Philippine Coast Guard, Coast Guard, Philippines Coast Guard, China’s Coast Guard Locations: China, Palawan, Philippine, Spratly, South China, Philippines

☆ Philippines says China blocked, water-cannoned boat in S. China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China's coast guard countered that it had implemented necessary controls in accordance with the law to deter Philippine ships, which it accused of trespassing and carrying illegal building materials. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, an assertion rejected internationally, while Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines have various claims to certain areas. China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu responded that China has "indisputable" sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and their adjacent waters, including the Second Thomas Shoal. The Philippine Coast Guard said the Chinese actions violated laws including two international conventions and a ruling from a global tribunal. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague concluded in 2016 that Beijing's expansive claim to the South China Sea was groundless.

Persons: Carlos Dominguez, Gao Hucheng, Damir Sagolj, China's, Thomas, Gan Yu, Gan, Jay Tarriela, Enrico Dela Cruz, Ryan Woo, William Mallard Organizations: Philippine, China's, REUTERS, Armed Forces, China Coast Guard, Central Military Commission, Philippine Coast Guard, U.S . State Department, Washington, Coast Guard, Philippines Mutual Defense, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Philippine, MANILA, Philippines, South China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, Manila, Ayungin, Spratly, The Hague, South, United States

CNN —The Philippines has accused Chinese Coast Guard ships of firing water cannons and making “dangerous maneuvers” at its ships in the South China Sea. “(China) has no lawful claim to the maritime area around Second Thomas Shoal,” it said in a statement published on Saturday. One of the world’s most contested regionsThe South China Sea has long been a source of tension between Manila and Beijing. Beijing claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea, as well as most of the islands within it. Relations were strained in December when Manila expressed “great concern” about the presence of Chinese vessels in the contested waterway.

Persons: Thomas, Second Thomas, Thomas Shoal, Xi Jinping, Ferdinand Marcos Jr Organizations: CNN, Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, US State Department, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Locations: Philippines, South China, China, Ayungin, Spratly, Second, Manila, Beijing, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Philippine, BRP Sierra

☆ New US Navy video clearly shows Chinese warship cutting off a US destroyer during 'unsafe' encounter in the Taiwan Strait
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new video, clearer than an earlier one, of a close call between US and Chinese destroyers in the Taiwan Strait has come out. The US Navy video shows the Chinese ship cutting off the US vessel. This incident follows another in the air in which a Chinese fighter jet flew directly in front of a US plane. "This is wildly unprofessional and provocative behavior on the part of the Chinese Navy," he said. American and Chinese naval vessels have had other close calls like this in the past, such as when a Chinese destroyer sailed dangerously close to the US destroyer USS Decatur near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea five years ago.

Persons: —, Arleigh Burke, Hoon, James Stavridis, Barry, Li Shangfu, Defense Lloyd Austin, Austin, Li Organizations: US Navy, Service, Fleet, 052D, Suzhou, Pacific Command, People's Liberation Army Navy, American, Twitter, Chinese Navy, PLA Navy, US, South China, US Air Force, Defense Locations: Taiwan, American, Montreal, Chinese, Decatur, Spratly, South, China, Singapore

☆ Philippines, U.S., Japan to hold first-ever joint coast guard exercise
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, May 29 (Reuters) - The coast guard of the United States, Japan and the Philippines will hold trilateral maritime exercise in the South China Sea this week, the first such manoeuvres between them as a time of growing concern about China's moves in the region. The June 1 to 7 exercise in waters off Bataan province was as initiative of the United States and Japan, while Australia would join as an observer, said Philippine coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said on Monday. Four Philippine vessels and one each from the United States and Japan will participate in exercises designed to improve search and rescue collaboration and law enforcement, Balilo said. "This is a usual routine activity among coast guard agencies," Balilo told a press conference. China maintains the actions of its coast guard are legal and in its waters.

☆ Japan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Kevin Klowden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

China has so far not acted in an aggressive manner toward shipping in the South China Sea, but the very potential of action creates a clear threat to the economies of Japan and South Korea. Nowhere is that more evident than in President Xi Jinping's "nine-dash" declaration, through which Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all the South China Sea. And of all the countries with cause to be concerned about that claim, perhaps none have more on the line than Japan and South Korea. For Japan and South Korea, the threat to their supply chains and energy imports is a far more real and present issue. Even in a non-wartime situation, China has taken the position that the South China Sea is a controlled territory rather than open international waters under Chinese guardianship.

Persons: Kevin Klowden, Xi Jinping's Organizations: Milken Institute, weekend's Locations: China, South China, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine, East, East Asia, Beijing, Spratly, United States

☆ Vietnam rebukes China, Philippines over South China Sea conduct
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HANOI, May 18 (Reuters) - Vietnam criticised on Thursday the recent conduct in the South China Sea of a Chinese research ship and the Philippines coast guard, accusing its neighbours of separate actions that were violating its sovereign rights. Tensions are currently high in contested parts of the South China Sea, one of the world's most important trade routes and a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce. China had said that scientific research was a normal activity in areas under Chinese jurisdiction. China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory, based on what it says are old maps, including waters that lie within the EEZ of Vietnam and four other Southeast Asian countries. Asked about the Philippines' move, Hang said: "Vietnam strongly opposes all acts violating Vietnam's sovereign rights."

☆ Philippines places buoys in parts of S.China Sea to assert sovereignty
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MANILA, May 14 (Reuters) - The Philippines has placed navigational buoys within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to assert sovereignty over the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea, a coast guard spokesperson said on Sunday. The step comes amid China's increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea as Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr pursues warmer ties with treaty ally the United States. In May 2022, the coast guard installed five navigational buoys on four islands in the Spratlys. China's claim of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea was invalidated by an international arbitration ruling in 2016. Beijing has for years deployed hundreds of coast guard and fishing vessels in disputed areas.

☆ China's latest addition to its disputed South China Sea outpost: a hot pot restaurant
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Laura Zhou | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The restaurant opened in late April and can seat 120 at once, the local government says. Woody Island, known as Yongxing in China, is the largest outcrop in the group of about 30 islands making up the Paracels. The government, headquartered on Woody Island, administers both the Paracels and the also hotly contested Spratly island chain, which China calls the Nansha Islands. A satellite photo of Woody Island in March 2018. The centre is also seen as a way to demonstrate Beijing's sovereignty in the region by linking underwater artefacts from the South China Sea — "an important section of the Maritime Silk Road" — to Chinese cultural heritage.

☆ Biden to reassure Philippines' Marcos as China tensions flare
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden listens during the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2023. Marcos, who became president last year, has sought warm relations with both the United States and China, who are vying for influence in the Asia-Pacific region. "Some of the steps that China have taken have concerned (Marcos), probably even surprised him," said one senior Biden administration official. Experts say the United States considers the Philippines a potential location for rockets, missiles and artillery systems to counter a Chinese amphibious assault. "We're standing shoulder to shoulder in the South China Sea, where our alignment has never been stronger," said one U.S. official.

☆ Philippines rebukes Beijing for 'dangerous manoeuvres' in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Neil Jerome Morales | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The incident occurred on Sunday during a Philippine coast guard patrol close to the Philippine-held Second Thomas Shoal, a flashpoint for previous altercations located 105 nautical miles (195 km) off its coast. One of the two Chinese vessels "carried out dangerous manoeuvres" about 150 feet (45.72 m) from a Philippine ship, it said. In February, the Philippines said a Chinese ship had directed a "military-grade laser" at one of its resupply vessels. China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Friday said the Philippine vessels had intruded into Chinese waters and "made deliberate provocative moves". "We urge the Philippines to respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights," Mao said, adding the Chinese vessels acted professionally and with restraint.

☆ Philippines stoking regional tension with US bases pact, China envoy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, April 14 (Reuters) - The Philippines is "stoking the fire" of regional tension by offering expanded military base access to the United States, whose goal is to interfere in China's affairs with Taiwan, Beijing's ambassador to Manila said on Friday. The U.S. embassy in Manila said the EDCA "is not about any other third country." The Philippines' foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. EDCA, signed in 2014, underlines the strategic importance of the Philippines to its former colonial ruler the United States, coming at a time of concern over China's conduct in the South China Sea and tension over self-ruled Taiwan. "The Philippines is advised to unequivocally oppose 'Taiwan independence' rather than stoking the fire by offering the U.S. access to the military bases near the Taiwan Strait, if you care genuinely about the 150,000 OFWs," Huang said.

☆ Philippines tells China sites for U.S. military pact not for 'offensive action'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, April 10 (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr assured China on Monday that military bases accessible to the United States would not be used in any offensive action, stressing the arrangement with Washington was designed to boost his country's defences. China's foreign ministry last week said the United States strengthening military deployment in the Philippines would only lead to more tension in the region, after Manila allowed Washington access to more of its bases. "The Philippines will not allow the bases to be used in any offensive action," he said. The Philippines identified last week four more of its bases the United States will get access to, almost doubling the number included in its Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). Marcos' remarks also come ahead of the largest ever joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States, which will feature for the first time live fire exercises at sea.

☆ US Navy says destroyer conducts navigational rights mission in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG-69), deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, conducts underway operations, at an undisclosed location in South China Sea, in this handout picture released on April 10, 2023. U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERSBEIJING, April 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy said its guided-missile destroyer USS Milius conducted a navigational rights and freedoms mission in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands on Monday. The U.S. Navy said the operation by the destroyer was consistent with international law. "At the conclusion of the operation, USS Milius exited the excessive claim area and continued operations in the South China Sea," a U.S. Navy statement said. Last month, China and the U.S. sparred over the movement of the USS Milius, which China said entered its territorial waters in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands.

☆ Top US, Philippine officials to meet after expanding defense pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 5 (Reuters) - The top foreign and defense officials of the United States and the Philippines will meet in Washington next week, the U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday, just as the two countries have expanded their defense cooperation agreement. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will receive Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and defense chief Carlito Galvez on Tuesday. The near doubling of EDCA sites was achieved at a time of growing concern over China's conduct in the South China Sea and tension over self-ruled Taiwan. The locations are significant, with Isabela and Cagayan facing north towards Taiwan, while Palawan is near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where China has built artificial islands equipped with runways and missile systems. Reporting by Daniel Trotta, editing by Donna Bryson & Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Philippines reveals locations of 4 new strategic sites for U.S. military pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The locations are significant, with Isabela and Cagayan facing north towards Taiwan, while Palawan is near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where China has built artificial islands equipped with runways and missile systems. Defence chief Carlito Galvez called the sites "very strategic" and stressed the Philippines had a responsibility to the international community in the South China Sea. "Their locations are in areas where they are needed," said Jay Batongbacal, a South China Sea expert at the University of the Philippines. "It also provides us with coverage not only on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) but also on the Pacific side," he added. The United States has committed more than $80 million worth of infrastructure at the five existing sites - the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu and Lumbia Air Base in Mindanao.

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