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☆ The woman fighting to save the Philippines’ last rainforests
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-01 | by ( Nell Lewis | John Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Palawan, a cluster of islands in the Philippines, is breathtakingly beautiful. According to Global Forest Watch, Palawan had the most tree cover loss in the country between 2001 and 2023. “Our mission is to conserve the Philippines’ last remaining 3% of pristine rainforest through the establishment of national parks,” she says. The island of Palawan is home to much of the Philippines' last remaining pristine rainforest. Duncan A. MurrellNow, their attention has turned to Sultan Peak, a mountain in the southern half of Palawan island, which has no formal protection.

Persons: Karina May Reyes, KM Reyes, ”, Reyes, Duncan A, Murrell, Aubrey Jayne Padilla, ” Reyes Organizations: CNN, Initiative, UNESCO, Global Forest Watch, Sustainability, Philippines ’, CS Locations: Palawan, Philippines, Puerto, Tubbataha, “, Puerto Princesa, Duncan

☆ Philippines to continue to deploy vessels in contested South China Sea shoal
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China Coast Guard ships (background L and R) are seen past the Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Cape Engano (C), as photographed from the BRP Cabra during a supply mission to Sabina Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Aug. 26, 2024. The Philippines will continuously deploy vessels in the contested Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, its coast guard said on Monday after a Philippine ship returned to port after a five-month deployment there. "We will sustain presence over these waters," Philippine Coast Guard Spokesperson Jay Tarriela told a press conference. The PCG's vessel, Teresa Magbanua, was deployed to Sabina Shoal in April to monitor what Manila suspects to be China's small-scale land reclamation activities in the area. Sabina Shoal, which China refers to as Xianbin Reef and the Philippines as the Escoda Shoal, lies west of the Philippine province of Palawan, within the country's exclusive economic zone.

Persons: Sabina Shoal, Sabina, Jay Tarriela, Teresa Magbanua, Tarriela Organizations: China Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, BRP Locations: Sabina, South, Philippines, South China, Philippine, Manila, China, Palawan

China’s Risky Power Play in the South China SeaChina’s coast guard ships have swarmed and collided with Philippine boats. A New FlashpointFor months, the latest target of China’s power play was a Philippine coast guard ship, the Teresa Magbanua. Philippine coast guard Chinese ships Noon, June 17 A group of Chinese ships moved to block the Philippine vessel. SECOND THOMAS SHOAL SABINA SHOAL A Chinese ship began tailing a Philippine ship around 8 a.m. More Chinese ships waited here. 6 p.m. SECOND THOMAS SHOAL SABINA SHOAL The Chinese ships followed the Philippine ship.

Persons: Teresa Magbanua, Sabina, Thomas, ”, Jay Batongbacal, Sabina Shoal, Hu Bo, Ferdinand R, Marcos Jr, Mr, Hu, Marcos, Manlia, Jan, Thomas Shoal, “, Rommel Ong, Wu Yanan, Samuel Paparo, General, Lei Organizations: South China, Bank, University of the, Philippine Coast Guard, Coast Guard, Associated Press, Armed Forces, Facebook, Ateneo School of Government, Philippine Navy, Philippine, China Coast Guard, Reuters, THOMAS, SECOND, Strategic, International Studies, Pacific Command, Theater Command, United, Liberation Army’s Academy of Military Sciences, People’s Liberation Army Locations: South, Philippine, China, Philippines, United States, Chinese, Spratly, Scarborough Shoal, Vietnam, PHILIPPINES SPRATLY, Palawan, SPRATLY, PHILIPPINES Palawan, Sabina, Manila, Asia, University of the Philippines, South China, Beijing, Shoal, Palawan ., China’s, U.S, United

☆ The U.S. Must Stand Up to Beijing in the South China Sea - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Oriana Skylar Mastro | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over the past 15 years, China has expanded its once-minimal military presence in the South China Sea into a significant one. China has used nonmilitary assets such as its Coast Guard, fishing vessels and maritime militia to bully its neighbors, blockade their ships and build Chinese military bases on disputed islands. Like any unchallenged bully, China has become increasingly aggressive. Last month, Chinese Coast Guard personnel attacked a Philippine supply vessel with axes and other crude weapons — Manila says a Filipino sailor and several others were injured — in one of the worst acts of violence between China and its rivals in the South China Sea in years. The shoal lies about 120 miles off the Philippine island of Palawan and is well within the nation’s exclusive economic zone.

Persons: —, Shoal Organizations: Coast Guard Locations: China, South, Beijing, America, United States, Philippine, Manila, Filipino, Sierra Madre, Philippines, Palawan

☆ China and Philippines already at odds over South China Sea deal to ease Second Thomas Shoal tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The dilapidated BRP Sierra Madre ship of the Philippine Navy is anchored near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea. Beijing claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the 1.3 million-square-mile South China Sea, and most of the islands and sandbars within it, including many features that are hundreds of miles from mainland China. Under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, the Philippines has taken increasingly assertive steps to protect its claim to shoals in the South China Sea, leading to several confrontations off the Philippine islands. The US is not a claimant to the South China Sea, but says the waters are crucial to its national interest of guaranteeing free passage through seas worldwide. A close up view taken on March 29, 2014 of the BRP Sierra Madre beached near the Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Shoal, Ren’ai Jiao, ”, Mao Ning, pushback, Ritchie, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Marcos, Jake Sullivan, ” Sullivan, Thomas Shoal, Erik de Castro, Gregory Poling, “, ” Derek Grossman Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, BRP Sierra Madre, Foreign Ministry, The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, BRP, Philippine Navy, coastguard, US Navy, Aspen Security, US National, Reuters, Transparency Initiative, RAND Corporation Locations: Hong Kong, South, Manila, Beijing, Philippine, Spratly, Philippines, China, Palawan, Madre, South China, Second, The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, The Hague, Scarborough, BRP Sierra Madre, Washington, United States, Sierra Madre, BRP Sierra, Asia

☆ What is China’s ‘monster’ coast guard ship and why is the Philippines spooked by it?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“It’s an intimidation on the part of the China Coast Guard,” Tarriela said during a forum on Saturday, according to a Reuters report. Powell and other analysts say intimidation is one of the main jobs of the CCG-5901, which is larger than any regular coast guard ship in the world (a specialty US Coast Guard icebreaker is bigger) and even outsizes US Navy destroyers. The US Coast Guard, for instance, is part of the US Department of Homeland Security, not the Defense Department, although US Coast Guard vessels can come under US Navy control in certain scenarios. The China Coast Guard is part of the country’s People’s Armed Police, which is under the command of the Central Military Commission. The China Coast Guard “doesn’t want to be outdone thus this monster came along to show who’s got a bigger set of muscles,” Koh said.

Persons: ”, Jay Tarriela, Sabina Shoal, Tarriela, BRP Teresa Magbanua, “, ” Tarriela, “ We’re, we’re, Shoal, wasn’t, Ray Powell, SeaLight, ” Powell, Powell, Arleigh Burke, ‘, ” Carl Schuster, Collin Koh, Teresa Magbanua, who’s, ” Koh Organizations: CNN, Philippine, Philippine Coast Guard, China Coast Guard, United, Coast, National Security, BRP, Stanford University, Coast Guard, US, Guard’s National Security Cutters, Chinese Coast Guard, CNN Coast, US Coast Guard, US Department of Homeland Security, Defense Department, Armed Police, Central Military Commission, Analysts, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, Guard, Rajaratnam, of International Studies Locations: China, Philippines, Beijing, Manila, South China, Sabina, Spratly, Philippine, Palawan, The Hague, Singapore

☆ China's ax-wielding clash at sea with the Philippines is a way to 'exhaust' it into accepting territory claims, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The incident on Monday is the latest "gray-zone" skirmish in the South China Sea, where China has increasingly used nonlethal but highly provocative measures to harass other countries there. China has claimed sovereignty over the South China Sea for decades, a claim that was roundly rejected in the Hague in 2016. On Saturday, it enacted a law allowing its Coast Guard to seize foreign ships suspected of trespassing, CNN reported. It comes after several other aggressive acts from Beijing in the South China Sea in recent months, involving lasers, water cannons, maritime militias, and even the alleged poisoning of fishing waters. A screen grab from a video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard showing Chinese vessels shooting water cannons at a ship in the South China Sea, on April 30, 2024.

Persons: —, Sari Arho Havrén, Collin Koh, Havrén, Xi Jinping, Biden, Joe Biden, Xi, Xi's Organizations: Service, Business, Coast Guard, CNN, Royal United Services Institute, AFP, —, Forces, Armed Forces, China Coast Guard, South China, Chinese Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Getty, Financial Times Locations: South China, China, South, Hague, Philippines, AFP, Palawan, Philippines China, Beijing, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Gaza, Ukraine

☆ Philippines blames China for ‘personnel injury and vessel damage’ in South China Sea collision
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —Manila has accused China of injuring Filipino personnel and damaging Philippine vessels during a South China Sea collision earlier this week, as tensions simmer over territorial disputes in the resource-rich and strategically important waterway. CNN has reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard for comment. China claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the South China Sea, and most of the islands and sandbars within it, including many features that are hundreds of miles from mainland China. A supply ship and two rubber boats from the Philippines had attempted to “illegally” deliver supplies to the stranded warship, China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu said. China’s Coast Guard also said it took measures including “warnings and interceptions, boarding inspections and forced evictions” against the Philippine vessels.

Persons: Shoal, “, Lin Jian, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Marcos, Ren’ai Jiao, Thomas, China’s, ”, Gan Yu, Matthew Miller Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, Associated Press, Philippine Department of Foreign, CNN, Department of Foreign Affairs, Armed Forces, Philippine Coast Guard, Times, China Coast Guard, Foreign Ministry, Chinese Coast Guard, Philippine, South China, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Navy, China’s Coast Guard, US State Department Locations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong CNN — Manila, China, Philippines, Spratly, Philippine, South, South China, Manila, The Hague, Beijing, Palawan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, BRP Sierra, China’s, States

☆ South China Sea: US blasts ‘aggressive’ China over collision with Philippine ship
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

China claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the South China Sea, and most of the islands and sandbars within it, including many features that are hundreds of miles from mainland China. China had “obstructed the Philippines from executing a lawful maritime operation in the South China Sea, interfering with the Philippines’ freedom of navigation,” Campbell said, according to a State Department readout. The Chinese coast guard on Monday said a Philippine supply ship “ignored China’s repeated solemn warnings” and “deliberately and dangerously” approached a Chinese vessel in “an unprofessional manner,” resulting in a collision. China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu on Monday accused the Philippines of “illegally” delivering supplies to the stranded warship. It should now be clear to the international community that China’s actions are the true obstacles to peace and stability in the South China Sea.”

Persons: Shoal, Manila MaryKay Carlson, China’s, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Marcos, Matthew Miller, Kurt Campbell, Foreign Affairs Maria Theresa Lazaro, ” Campbell, “, ”, Francel Margareth Padilla, Adrian Portugal, Ren’ai Jiao, Thomas, Gan Yu, Gan, ” Gan, Jay Tarriela, Gilberto C, Teodoro , Jr Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Philippine, US State Department, Foreign Affairs, Department, Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Reuters, China Coast Guard, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Navy, Chinese Coast Guard, CNN, Armed Forces, ( Armed Forces, Philippine Defense Locations: Hong Kong, United States, China, Philippines, Philippine, Second, Spratly, South China, Manila, South, Beijing, The Hague, Palawan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, BRP Sierra, Thomas Shoal, “, West Philippine

☆ Singapore races to clean oil spill as luxury beach resort coated in slick
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An oil spill affecting Singapore has spread beyond a luxury beach resort to a marine reserve and other parts of the island as the authorities intensify cleanup efforts. The oil spilled into the city-state’s waters after a Netherlands-flagged dredger, Vox Maxima, hit Singapore-flagged bunker vessel, Marine Honor, on Friday afternoon, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. The oil spill has spread from the busy Pasir Panjang Terminal cargo port, less than 10 kilometers (six miles) from Sentosa, the country’s popular resort island home to luxury hotels, golf courses and Universal Studios Singapore. Oil covers Sentosa's Tanjong Beach in Singapore on June 16, 2024. Measuring about 13 kilometers long (8 miles) long, 19 kilometers (11.8 miles) wide and dotted with several small islands, it is one of the world’s busiest commercial waterways where around 1,000 ships pass through every day.

Persons: Vox Maxima, Hari Raya Haji, John’s, Lazarus, Kusu, Roslan Rahman Organizations: CNN, Maritime, Port Authority of, Universal Studios Singapore, National Parks Board, Friends, Marine, Getty Images Authorities, Marine Stewards Locations: Singapore, Netherlands, Port Authority of Singapore, Pasir Panjang, Sentosa, Hari, Tanjong, Palawan, Siloso, St, Beach, AFP, China

☆ US Marines debuted a new amphibious combat vehicle, which was previously pulled out of the water after multiple rollovers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Drew F. Lawrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US Marines' new amphibious combat vehicle made its first overseas deployment in the Philippines. AdvertisementThe Marine Corps ' new amphibious combat vehicle, or ACV, debuted in the Philippines as part of its first overseas deployment after more than a year-and-a-half of limited operations. AdvertisementA US Marine Corps amphibious combat vehicle splashes off the amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) during Exercise Balikatan 24 in Palawan, Philippines. AdvertisementUS Marine Corps amphibious combat vehicles conduct a towing exercise during Exercise Balikatan 24 in Palawan, Philippines. That vehicle, called the amphibious assault vehicle, or AAV, had been used since the 1970s.

Persons: —, ACVs, Col, Sean Dynan, Lance Cpl, Peyton Kahle, Matthew Bylski, Chris Mahoney, Boxer, Military.com Organizations: US Marines, Service, Corps, Marines, Pacific, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Marine Corps, US Marine Corps, . Locations: Philippines, Philippine, South, Camp Pendleton , California, Palawan, Oyster Bay, USS Somerset, San Diego

☆ Chinese water cannon damages ship in new South China Sea flare-up, Philippines says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Video supplied by the Philippine Coast Guard showed two larger Chinese vessels firing water cannons from opposite sides of the Philippine ship. “The Philippine vessels encountered dangerous maneuvers and obstruction from four China Coast Guard vessels and six Chinese Maritime Militia vessels,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said in the statement. The Philippine Coast Guard ship suffered “damage to the railing and canopy,” according to its statement. Over the past two decades, China has occupied a number of obscure reefs and atolls far from its shoreline across the South China Sea, building up military installations, including runways and ports. Beijing and Manila’s South China Sea disputes have heated up since the 2022 election of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has taken a stronger line against China than his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte.

Persons: Jay Tarriela, ”, Thomas, “, Thomas Shoal, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte Organizations: CNN, Philippine Coast Guard, China Coast Guard, Chinese Maritime Militia, Weibo, Asia, Transparency Initiative, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Locations: Philippine, China, Scarborough Shoal, Chinese, Luzon, ” Beijing, South, Scarborough, Huangyan, Bajo, Masinloc, Philippines, South China, Palawan, BRP Sierra, Weibo, ”, Beijing, Manila’s, Manila, United States, Washington

☆ US sends land-attack missile system to Philippines for exercises in apparent message to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The presence of the US Army’s Mid-Range Capability (MRC) ground-based missile system, increases the risks of “misjudgment and miscalculation” in a region already on edge over Chinese-Philippines face-offs in the South China Sea, Beijing says. It’s the first-ever deployment of the MRC missile system, also known as the Typhon system, to the Indo-Pacific theater, and it comes amid a series of US-Philippine military exercises, including the largest-ever edition of the bilateral Balikatan exercises beginning Monday. It also can fire the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, a maneuverable cruise missile with a range of 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles), according to the CSIS. Those are the same rules Washington and Manila accuse Beijing of ignoring with aggressive Chinese actions that have injured Filipino sailors and damaged vessels around disputed features in the South China Sea. US Army PacificChina’s missile advantageAnalysts say the deployment of the Typhon missile battery is the first signal of US plans to address what has long been an advantage for Beijing in the region.

Persons: Lin Jian, ” Lin, Stephen Koehler, “, equalizes, ”, Collin Koh, Christopher Milhal, Koh, Rupert Schulenberg, Donald Trump “, Thomas, CNN’s Steven Jiang Organizations: South Korea CNN, US, MRC, US Army, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Foreign, US Pacific Fleet, Sunday, Xinhua, CNN, US Air Force, US Army Pacific, Beijing, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, ”, don’t, International Institute for Strategic Studies, South, Lewis, McChord, Nuclear Forces Treaty, Russian, Philippine News Agency, CNN Philippine Locations: Seoul, South Korea, China, United States, Philippines, South China Sea, Beijing, Philippine, South China, Taiwan Strait, Qingdao, Washington, Manila, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Taiwan, Guam, Singapore, South, Soviet Union, Palawan, Sulu, Spratly

☆ White House says it’s very concerned by China’s actions in the South China Sea ahead of key trilateral meeting
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Samantha Waldenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Washington CNN —The White House is very concerned by China’s actions in the South China Sea, a senior administration official said, as President Joe Biden prepares to draw two Asian allies closer at a historic meeting on Thursday. Japan and the Philippines both have separate territorial disputes with China, in the former’s case the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and in the latter’s areas of the South China Sea. Meanwhile, China claims the shoal, which is in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, as its sovereign territory, as it does much of the South China Sea, in defiance of an international arbitration ruling. CNN has previously reported that the three leaders will hold private discussions on the South China Sea. A senior administration official also said that on Thursday the White House will be announcing a new infrastructure project in the Philippines.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Fumio Kishida, Thomas, Kishida, Marcos, Rodrigo Duterte, “ We’re, ” Biden, Australia –, ”, Brad Lendon, Arlette Saenz, Kayla Tausche Organizations: Washington CNN, Japanese, East China, China Coast Guard, CNN, American, White, Clark Air Base, Subic Naval Base, Coast Guard Locations: South China, Japan, Philippines, China, East, Philippine, Palawan, Taiwan, South, North Korea, Russia, Kishida, Ukraine, Manila, Asia, Pacific, United States, Beijing, India, US, Australia

☆ China concerns bring new unity to once-turbulent US-Japan-Philippines relationship ahead of major White House summit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Both the Philippines and Japan are US defense treaty allies, and the US military retains permanent bases in Japan and has base rights in the Philippines. That threat is manifested in three key areas – Taiwan, the South China Sea and the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, analysts say. Here's why 03:27 - Source: CNNJapan and Philippines both have separate territorial disputes with China, in the former’s case the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and in the latter’s areas of the South China Sea. Meanwhile, China claims the shoal, which is in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, as its sovereign territory, as it does much of the South China Sea, in defiance of an international arbitration ruling. “Alliance building is the most practical way to deal with China’s moves” in the South China Sea, he said.

Persons: ”, James D.J, Brown, Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Xi Jinping, Biden, Micah Jeiel Perez, Marcos, Kishida, ” Marcos, Shinzo Abe, Ricardo Jose, ” Jose, Thomas, CNN Marcos, Shoal, China –, Masaharu Homma, –, Perez, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jr’s, Duterte, Thomas Shoal, Veejay Villafranca, Robert Ward, BRP Antonio Luna, you’ve, Donald, Trump, ” Brown, “, Ward Organizations: South Korea CNN, White, Temple University, Japanese, Taiwan –, Communist Party, Taiwan Relations, University of, Nikkei Asia, University of the, “, CNN, East China, Philippine, China Coast Guard, US, US State Department, Gen, “ Alliance, Clark Air Base, Naval, Bloomberg, Getty, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Cooperative, Philippine Navy, BRP, Royal Australian Navy, Self, Defense Forces, JS Akebono, US Navy, USS, Multilateral Maritime Cooperative, Armed Forces, AP Analysts Locations: Seoul, South Korea, United States, Japan, Philippines, China, Tokyo, Philippine, Taiwan, Washington, South, Senkaku, East China, University of the Philippines, CNN Japan, East, South China, Palawan, China – Washington, Beijing, Spain, Spanish, Imperial Japan, New Orleans, Bataan, Subic, Manila, US, Australia, India, Vietnam, Warramunga, IISS

Hong Kong CNN —China’s coast guard used water cannon against Philippine boats in a contested area of the South China Sea on Saturday, the latest in a string of maritime clashes between the two countries. The AFP also accused the Chinese coast guard of performing a “dangerous maneuver” by crossing the bow of the resupply vessel before using the water cannon. It said China subsequently installed floating barriers to “prevent further entry of any vessels.”A Philippine Coast Guard vessel had been “impeded and encircled” by a Chinese coast guard ship and two Chinese “maritime militia” vessels, the agency said, cutting it off from the resupply boat. The ship is now mostly a rusted wreckage and is manned by Philippine marines stationed on rotation. The latest run-in came just four days after Secretary of State Blinken told a news conference in Manila that the United States had an “ironclad commitment” to defending the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Jay Tarriela, Thomas, “, Thomas Shoal, Blinken Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Armed Forces, AFP, Philippine Coast Guard, Convention, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine, Sierra Madre, Weibo Locations: Hong Kong, South, Philippine, China, Philippines, AFP, ”, Beijing, Manila, Palawan, BRP Sierra, Madre, Sierra, China’s, United States, South China, People’s Republic of China, Washington

☆ South China Sea: On board an outnumbered Philippine ship facing down Chinese aggression
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Rebecca Wright | Ivan Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Near Second Thomas Shoal, South China Sea CNN —As dawn slowly broke on the horizon, a large fleet of Chinese vessels came into view from the deck of a Philippine Coast Guard ship as it entered the contested waters of the South China Sea. Filipino soldiers on the dilapidated Sierra Madre ship, anchored near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, on May 11, 2015. The US military also maintains a regular presence in the South China Sea, with aircraft overflights, so-called “freedom of navigation” operations, and patrols and exercises with allies and partners to assert that the South China Sea is an international waterway. The Philippine Coast Guard said it counted five China Coast Guard vessels and 18 boats belonging to Beijing’s “maritime militia." Rebecca Wright/CNNTarriela, the Coast Guard spokesperson, said a China Coast Guard vessel had come within 20 yards (60 feet) of the Cabra.

Persons: David, Goliath, “, ”, Thomas Shoal, Rebecca Wright, Sabina, Ritchie, Jiao, –, Jay Tarriela, Mao Ning, China Coast Guard “, Thomas, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jr, Jose Manuel Romualdez, CNN Tarriela, Tomas Etzler, Erik de Castro, month’s, ” Tarriela, ‘, Collin Koh, ” Koh, Ray Powell, SeaLight, “ Will, ” Powell, we’ve Organizations: South China, CNN, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine, Armed Forces, China Coast Guard, ” CNN, Philippine Navy, Coast Guard, Foreign Ministry, Sierra Madre, Center for Strategic, Studies, China Power, Ministry, Washington, Philippine News Agency . Diplomacy, Coast Guardians, Guard, Madre, Reuters, USS, China, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, National Security, Stanford University Locations: South, South China, Philippines, United States, Philippine, China, Bulilyan, Palawan, Sierra Madre, Sierra, The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Madre, Hague, Beijing, China’s, Manila, Shanghai, Singapore

☆ Philippines builds new coast guard station on island in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

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 Lopez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The Philippines has built a new coast guard station on the contested island of Thitu in the South China Sea, boosting its ability to monitor movements of Chinese vessels and aircraft in the busy disputed waterway. Inaugurated on Friday, the new three-storey facility is equipped with state-of-the art technology such as radar, automatic identification, satellite communication, and coastal cameras, the Philippine coast guard said in a statement. Manila's outpost of Thitu is its biggest and most strategically important in the South China Sea, largely claimed by Beijing, despite conflicting territorial claims by several regional nations. Besides the Philippines, Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have competing claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea, a conduit for goods in excess of $3 trillion every year.

Persons: Eloisa Lopez, Eduardo Ano, Thitu, Karen Lema, Mikhail Flores, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, People's Liberation Army, PLA ) Navy, Philippine, Thomson Locations: Philippine, Thitu, Pag, Spratly Islands, South China, Rights MANILA, Philippines, Manila, Spratly, Beijing, Palawan, Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam

THITU ISLAND, South China Sea (AP) — The Philippine coast guard inaugurated a new monitoring base Friday on a remote island occupied by Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea as Manila ramps up efforts to counter China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the strategic waterway. It’s pure bullying,” Ano told reporters after the ceremony, describing the actions of Chinese ships as flouting international law. Surrounded by white beaches, the tadpole-shaped Thitu Island is called Pag-asa — Tagalog for hope — by about 250 Filipino villagers. It’s one of nine islands, islets and atolls that have been occupied by Philippine forces since the 1970s in the South China Sea’s Spratlys archipelago. Speaking in Honolulu, where he met U.S. military leaders about two weeks ago, Marcos said the situation in the South China Sea “has become more dire” with China showing interest in atolls and shoals that are “closer and closer” to the Philippine coast.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, it’s, Eduardo Ano, ” Ano, Ano, ”, Daisy Cojamco, asa —, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Duterte, Marcos, ” Marcos Organizations: National, Philippine, Associated Press, Washington, South China Locations: THITU, South China, Philippine, China, Manila, United States, Philippines, Asia, Thitu, Pag, Palawan, Vietnam, Australia, Beijing, U.S, Japan, Honolulu, South, asia

☆ China says Philippines enlists foreign force to stir trouble in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese military will maintain high vigilance, resolutely defend sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and resolutely safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, China's military said. "The Philippines enlisted forces out of the region to patrol ... stirred up trouble and engaged in hype, undermining regional peace and stability," the southern theatre command of the Chinese military said. Relations have soured between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr as he pivots towards closer ties with the U.S., which supports the Southeast Asian nation in its maritime disputes with China. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday China had warned the U.S. and the Philippines in connection with their patrols. A Chinese navy ship shadowed three U.S. and Philippine warships conducting joint patrols on Thursday, the Philippine armed forces chief, Romeo Brawner, told reporters.

Persons: Carlos Dominguez, Gao Hucheng, Damir Sagolj, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Mao Ning, Romeo Brawner, Brawner, Ella Cao, Bernard Orr, Liz Lee, Neil Jerome Morales, Edmund Klamann, Robert Birsel Organizations: Philippine, China's, REUTERS, U.S, Philippines, U.S ., Relations, South China, China, Philippine -, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Philippines, BEIJING, MANILA, Philippine, U.S, South China, Taiwan, South, Palawan, United States, Manila

☆ Philippines rejects China's call for prior notice on resupply missions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We are being asked to give prior notification each time we conduct a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal. China claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, pointing to a line on its maps that cuts into the EEZs of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said the line on China's maps had no legal basis, which Beijing rejects. "The Philippines has not entered into any agreement abandoning its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its EEZ and continental shelf, including in the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal," Daza said. The Second Thomas Shoal lies 190 km (118 miles) off the Philippine island of Palawan, or well within the Manila's EEZ.

Persons: Thomas, Teresita Daza, Lloyd Austin, harassments, Daza, Thomas Shoal, Mikhail Flores, Neil Jerome Morales, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Rights, of Foreign Affairs, US, Manila, Thomson Locations: BRP Sierra, South China, Rights MANILA, Philippines, China, Manila, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Taiwan, Beijing, Jakarta, Sierra, Ayungin, Philippine, Palawan

☆ How a Decaying Warship Beached on a Tiny Shoal Provoked China’s Ire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Camille Elemia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

For more than two decades, it has been an unlikely flashpoint in the South China Sea: a rusty, World War II-era ship beached on a tiny reef that has become a symbol of Philippine resistance against Beijing. The Philippine government ran the vessel aground in 1999 on the Second Thomas Shoal, a contested reef 120 miles off the coast of the western province of Palawan. The dilapidated warship, known as the Sierra Madre, will never sail again. But it has remained there ever since, a marker of the Philippines’ claim to the shoal and an effort to prevent China from seizing more of the disputed waters. On Friday, a reporter for The New York Times was among a group given rare access to a Philippine resupply mission, first boarding a Coast Guard ship — the BRP Cabra — and then an inflatable dinghy to get within 1,000 yards of the Sierra Madre.

Persons: Thomas Organizations: Beijing, Philippine, The New York Times, Coast Guard, BRP, — Locations: South China, Palawan, Sierra Madre, Philippines, China, Philippine

Hong Kong CNN —China and the Philippines on Sunday accused each other of causing collisions in a disputed area of the South China Sea, the latest in a string of maritime confrontations between the two countries that have heightened regional tensions. In a statement Sunday, the Chinese Coast Guard accused the Philippines of violating international marine law and threatening the navigation safety of Chinese ships. In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines in a landmark maritime dispute, which concluded that China has no legal basis to claim historic rights to the bulk of the South China Sea. In September, the Philippine Coast Guard released video of a Filipino diver cutting a Chinese-installed floating barrier in a disputed area of the waterway that had prevented Filipino boats from entering. It came just days after after the Philippine Coast Guard accused China’s maritime militia of turning vast patches of coral near the Palawan island chain into a bleached and broken wasteland.

Persons: Thomas, “, Thomas Shoal Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Coast Guard, National Task Force, West Philippine, BRP, Chinese Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard Locations: Hong Kong, China, Philippines, South China, Philippine, Ayungin, Spratly, BRP Sierra Madre, Manila, Beijing, China’s, The Hague, Palawan

☆ Philippines sees no current, future engagements with Taiwan - military chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. speaks to the media during a press briefing at Western Command in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines, August 10, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The Philippines has no military engagements with Taiwan and it does not see future engagements with the democratically-governed island, Manila's armed forces chief Romeo Brawner told foreign correspondents on Thursday. The Philippines sees risk of conflict over Taiwan as a major concern amid geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States. The military is ready for any eventuality, though it has not monitored reports on any intended attacks on Taiwan in particular, Brawner said. The Philippines adheres to the "One China Policy", and also has ties with Taipei, with its Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan serving as a de facto embassy.

Persons: Romeo Brawner, Eloisa Lopez, Brawner, Karen Lema, Neil Jerome Morales Organizations: Forces, Western Command, REUTERS, Rights, Philippine, Office, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Rights MANILA, Taiwan, China, United States, Mavulis, Taipei, Manila

☆ Philippines to recruit 'cyber warriors' for online defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. walks past honor guards during the arrival ceremony at Western Command, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines, August 10, 2023. Several government agencies, including the lower house of Congress, have recently reported cyber attacks and the chief of the armed forces said some of the almost daily attacks on the military came from abroad. "Instead of recruiting soldiers for infantry battalions, this time we will recruit cyber warriors," General Romeo Brawner told reporters. "There is this general realisation that this new breed of warriors does not have to be muscle strong." Cyber defence training was part joint exercises this year with U.S. forces, Brawner said, highlighting the growing importance of cyber resilience in defence strategy.

Persons: Romeo Brawner Jr, Eloisa Lopez, Romeo Brawner, Brawner, Karen Lema, Robert Birsel Organizations: Forces, Western Command, REUTERS, Rights, coastguard, U.S, China Telecom, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Rights MANILA, Philippine, China, South China, Japan

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