MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines lodged its “strongest protest” against Beijing on Monday and summoned a senior Chinese diplomat over a water cannon assault by the Chinese coast guard that injured Filipino navy crew members and heavily damaged their boat in the disputed South China Sea, officials said. In response, China warned that relations … Read more
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored Washington’s “ironclad commitment” Tuesday to help defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack against its forces after clashes between Chinese and Filipino coast guards in the disputed South China Sea recently turned more hostile. Blinken, the latest high-level official to visit the United … Read more
BEIJING (AP) — China on Tuesday announced a 7.2% increase in its defense budget, which is already the world’s second-highest behind the United States at 1.6 trillion yuan ($222 billion), roughly mirroring last year’s rise. Tensions with the U.S., Taiwan, Japan and neighbors with competing claims to the crucial South China Sea are seen as … Read more
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels collided in the disputed South China Sea and four Filipino crew members were injured Tuesday in high-seas confrontations as Southeast Asian leaders gathered for an Asian summit where alarm over Beijing’s aggression at sea was expected to be raised. The Chinese coast guard ships and … Read more
The latest Ayungin incident had prominent Filipino lawmakers loudly calling for China’s envoy to Manila, Huang Xilian, to be sent home. Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, an ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte who had pivoted the country towards China and away from the United States, even changed his tune and said the Philippine … Read more
“China and Vietnam have mixed attitudes towards each other,” said a researcher from the government-linked Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), who spoke on condition of anonymity. “While they need each other politically [to maintain stability at home], their widening differences on security-related issues, especially over the South China Sea disputes, remain the key obstacle.” … Read more
Chinese and Philippine vessels faced off in back-to-back clashes in contested waters in the South China Sea throughout the weekend as tensions heightened in the dispute between the two countries over maritime territory. The Philippines’ sea task force said its vessels were damaged after being “directly targeted” on Sunday by a Chinese coast guard ship … Read more
The United States renewed a warning Monday that it would defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack under a 1951 treaty, after Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels off a contested shoal in the South China Sea. Commodore Jay Tarriela (2nd R), spokesman of Philippine Coast Guard for the West … Read more
The Philippines said two of its vessels collided with Chinese boats during a mission to deliver supplies to a South China Sea outpost. A China Coast Guard vessel collided with a Philippines-contracted resupply boat at about 6:04 a.m. Sunday approximately 13.5 nautical miles (about 25 kilometers) east-northeast of the outpost, the Philippine task force for … Read more
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. spent the first 15 months of his term working with the US and its allies to counter China’s incursions in the South China Sea. Now, his government is taking the fight more directly to Beijing in a move that could force the US to make some tough choices. Marcos this … Read more