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☆ 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.

☆ US stands with Philippines against Chinese 'intimidation' in S. China Sea - official
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 3 (Reuters) - The United States stands with treaty ally the Philippines in the face of harassment by China's coast guard in the South China Sea and remains deeply concerned about "intimidation" by Beijing, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday. The Philippines on Friday accused China's coast guard of "dangerous manoeuvres" and "aggressive tactics" in the South China Sea, in another maritime confrontation between the two countries. China said the Philippines vessels made "deliberate provocative moves". Kritenbrink also said the United States and its partners recognised the importance of maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait. Under Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos' anti-U.S. predecessor, relations soured as he sought to court China while openly rebuking Washington.

☆ Philippines, China to discuss fishing rights in South China Sea - Marcos
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, May 1 (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said China has agreed to discuss fishing rights in the South China Sea, as he pushed for a "direct communication line" with Beijing on maritime differences. China has agreed to "sit down" and talk about Filipinos' fishing rights in the South China Sea, Marcos said, adding he has asked the Philippine Coast Guard and the Department of Foreign Affairs "to put together...a map of these fishing grounds" that will be presented to Beijing. The Philippines accused China's coast guard on Friday of "aggressive tactics" following a recent incident during a Philippine coast guard patrol close to the Philippines-held Second Thomas Shoal, a flashpoint for previous altercations located 105 nautical miles (195 km) off its coast. The United States has urged China to stop harassing Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, while Beijing said it was willing to handle maritime differences with countries of concern through friendly consultations, while warning Washington against interference. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, with a "nine-dash line" on maps that stretches more than 1,500 km (930 miles) off its mainland and cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - At a summit on Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden and Philippines counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr are expected to reach agreements on greater business engagement, as well as "military enhancements" amid shared concerns about China, a senior Biden administration official told Reuters. Marcos is due in the United States on Sunday for a four-day visit that Philippines official say is aimed at reaffirming the special relationship between the Philippines and the United States, which are long-time allies. The senior U.S. administration official said it was impossible to underestimate its strategic importance of the Philippines, although the relationship was more than just about security. "We will roll out some deliverables during the next week that will highlight business engagement but also some military enhancements as well," he said on Saturday. The official said that as part of moves to boost commercial ties, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo would a lead a presidential business delegation to the Philippines.

☆ US says Chinese Coast Guard is harassing Philippine vessels
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - The United States on Saturday called on China to stop harassing Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, pledging to stand with the Philippines at a time of simmering geopolitical tension. "We call upon Beijing to desist from its provocative and unsafe conduct," the U.S. State Department said in a statement. The Philippines on Friday accused China's coast guard of "aggressive tactics" following an incident during a Philippine coast guard patrol close to the Philippines-held Second Thomas Shoal, a flashpoint for previous altercations located 105 nautical miles (195 km) off its coast. In February, the Philippines said a Chinese ship had directed a "military-grade laser" at one of its resupply vessels. China's foreign ministry on Friday said the Philippine vessels had intruded into Chinese waters and made deliberate provocative moves.

☆ 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.

☆ China coast guard enters disputed waters in East China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, March 15 (Reuters) - China's coast guard entered the waters around disputed East China Sea islets on Wednesday to counter what it called the incursion of Japanese vessels into Chinese territorial waters. Disputed East China Sea islets claimed by China and Japan have long been a sticking point in bilateral ties. China Marine Police spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement that coast guard vessels entered the waters of the Diaoyu for a "normal rights protection patrol" calling it a "routine move". "(This also）is a strong countermeasure to the Japanese side's intrusion of one yacht and several patrol vessels into our territorial waters," Gan said, though he did not specify any incident. China's coast guard said in late January that the Shinsei Maru and four other Japanese ships illegally entered the territorial waters of the Diaoyu islands before being driven away by Chinese coast guard vessels.

☆ South Korea's Yoon arrives in Tokyo hours after North's missile launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee arrive at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) in Tokyo, Japan March 16, 2023. Before Yoon's flight, North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile, which landed in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan, emphasising both the urgency of regional security and the threat posed by North Korea. "There is an increasing need for (South) Korea and Japan to cooperate in this time," Yoon said in a written interview with international media on Wednesday, calling both North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and supply chain disruptions a "polycrisis". South Korea and Japan at the time agreed to exchange real-time intelligence on North Korea's missile launches, which experts say will help both countries better track potential threats. Tokyo worries that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has set a precedent that will encourage China to attack self-ruled Taiwan.

☆ Over the South China Sea, dispute simmers via radios and rhetoric
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Eloisa Lopez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] An aerial view shows the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, locally known as Pag-asa, in the contested Spratly Islands, South China Sea, March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa LopezABOARD PHILIPPINES COAST GUARD PLANE, South China Sea, March 10 (Reuters) - As a Philippine coast guard aircraft flew over the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea on Thursday, a message came in over the radio telling it to immediately leave "Chinese territory". "Calling China coast guard vessel. China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Beijing insists its coast guard is defending its territory. China's coast guard challenged the plane again as it flew over the shoal, located inside the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

☆ Philippines, U.S. discuss joint coast guard patrols in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The Philippines and the United States are discussing conducting joint coast guard patrols, including in the South China Sea, a Manila official said on Monday. Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG) spokesperson on South China Sea issues, told CNN Philippines that talks with the United States have advanced beyond the infancy stage and the likelihood of carrying out joint patrols is high. "There is also a possibility that it will be conducted in the South China Sea in support of the freedom of navigation of the United States government," he said. The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the joint patrols. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr last week summoned China's ambassador to relay his concern over the frequency and intensity of China's actions in the South China Sea.

☆ Philippines files protest to China over use of laser, "aggressive activities" by vessels
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The Philippines on Tuesday filed a diplomatic protest calling on Beijing to ensure its vessels cease "aggressive activities" after Manila accused China's coast guard of trying to block one of its ships in the South China Sea using a laser. The Philippine coast guard said on Monday a Chinese coast guard ship directed a "military-grade laser" at one of Manila's vessels supporting a resupply mission to troops in the disputed waterway on Feb. 6, temporarily blinding its crew on the bridge. The actions of China's coast guard vessel were a threat to Philippine sovereignty and security and the country had a prerogative to conduct legitimate activities within its exclusive economic zone, the ministry said. "We urge the Philippines to avoid such actions, and the actions of China's staff are professional and restrained," China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, told a regular briefing. The Philippines has filed 203 diplomatic notes against China since last year, foreign ministry data showed.

☆ U.S. backs Philippines in laser dispute with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 13 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday said it stood with the Philippines after Manila accused China's coast guard of using a laser to try to disrupt a resupply mission to troops in the South China Sea. "The United States stands with our Philippine allies in the face of the People's Republic of China (PRC) Coast Guard's reported use of laser devices against the crew of a Philippine Coast Guard ship on February 6 in the South China Sea," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. China's foreign ministry said its coast guard conducted actions according to the law. Reporting by Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Philippines urges China to prevent any 'provocative act' after complaint over laser
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China should restrain its forces to prevent them committing any "provocative act," the Philippine military said on Monday, after Manila accused China's coast guard of using a laser to try to disrupt a resupply mission to troops in the South China Sea. "I think it's time for the Chinese government to restrain its forces so that it does not commit any provocative act that will endanger the lives of people," military spokesperson Medel Aguilar told reporters. Aguilar quoted the Philippine defense chief as saying the Chinese action was "offensive" and unsafe. The incident took place at the Second Thomas Shoal, 105 nautical miles (120.83 miles) off the Philippine province of Palawan. The shoal is home to a small Philippine military contingent on board a rusty ship.

☆ Philippines urges China to halt any "provocative act" after laser aimed at vessel
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Aguilar also quoted the Philippine defence chief as saying the action of the Chinese coast guard was "offensive" and unsafe." Images supplied by the PCG showed a green light emanating from a Chinese vessel with bow number 5205. China has said it was ready to manage maritime issues "cordially" with the Philippines during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's visit to Beijing in January. In February last year, Australia accused Beijing of an 'act of intimidation' after a Chinese navy vessel directed a laser at an Australian military surveillance aircraft. The VFA provides rules for the rotation of thousands of U.S. troops in and out of the Philippines for exercises.

☆ Philippines coast guard chief says boosts South China Sea presence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We're making sure that the presence of coast guard vessels is felt by the fishermen in the area," Admiral Artemio Abu, Commandant of the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG), said in an interview. "At a moment's notice, the coast guard vessels we will be there because they are exclusively and primarily dedicated for that purpose," said Abu. The 26,000-strong coast guard has 25 primary ships that can be used for deployment and patrols. Since 2002, the Philippines has filed 200 diplomatic notes and protests against China's actions in the South China Sea. The Pentagon also said separately the United States and the Philippines had "agreed to restart joint maritime patrols in the South China Sea to help address these challenges."

☆ U.S. Vice President Harris to affirm defense commitment to Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Karen Lema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MANILA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will reaffirm American commitments to the defence of the Philippines when she meets with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila on Monday, a senior U.S. administration official said. "The vice president will underscore our commitment to stand up for the international rules and norms because we recognise the impact that that has on Philippine lives and livelihoods," the U.S. official said. "The vice president will tell President Marcos that we are pleased to see our security ties in such strong position," the U.S. official said. Washington and the Philippines have moved ahead with an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that dates back to the Obama administration and that languished under Duterte. Last week, Philippine military chief Bartolome Bacarro said the United States had proposed including five more bases in the EDCA, including one in Palawan.

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