By Panu Wongcha-um VIENTIANE, Laos (Reuters) -Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr pressed Southeast Asian leaders and China at a regional summit on Thursday to urgently speed up negotiations on a code of conduct for the South China Sea, while accusing Beijing of harassment and intimidation. Speaking in Laos to leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Marcos said substantive progress was necessary and all parties must “be earnestly […]
Tag: philippines
Philippines launches naval drills with allies as regional tensions simmer
By Mikhail Flores SUBIC, Philippines (Reuters) – The armed forces of the Philippines, the United States and four other countries began joint naval exercises off the coast of the Philippines’ northern Luzon island facing Taiwan in a display of naval strength amid rising tensions with China. Called “Sama Sama,” which means togetherness, this year’s drills, which involve almost a thousand sailors and personnel from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the United States and the Philippines, are […]
Philippines’ Marcos signs law to revitalise country’s defense industry
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr signed into law a bill on Tuesday that aims to develop the country’s defence industry to reduce its reliance on imported sources and create equipment tailored to its security challenges. “It’s a logical move forward for a country that finds itself at the fulcrum of geopolitical shifts and volatilities. At its core this act is about cultivating a robust and sustainable national defence industry,” Marcos said after […]
Philippines accuses China of assaulting Vietnamese fishermen in South China Sea
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines accused Chinese maritime officials on Friday of carrying out an “unjustified assault” on Vietnamese fishermen in the contested waters of the South China Sea, adding its voice to a fraught dispute over the confrontation. Vietnam said this week that Chinese law enforcement officers had beaten 10 fishermen and seized their gear while they were working last Sunday near the Chinese-controlled Paracel Islands, which Hanoi also claims and calls Hoang Sa. […]
China says US missile deployment in Philippines undermines peace
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the U.S. deployment of intermediate-range missiles in the Philippines “undermines regional peace and stability”, the foreign ministry said on Sunday. Speaking to South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul in New York on Saturday, Wang also called for avoiding “war or chaos on the Korean Peninsula”, the ministry said in a post on its website. The U.S. deployed the Typhon system, which can be equipped with cruise […]
US, Asia-Pacific nations hold joint maritime exercises in South China Sea
By Neil Jerome Morales MANILA (Reuters) – The armed forces of five countries conducted joint maritime exercises in a portion of the South China Sea on Saturday as China carried out its own military drills in the disputed waterway. The exercises involving the Philippines, United States, Australia, Japan and – for the first time – New Zealand took place in Manila’s exclusive economic zone and sought to improve the militaries’ interoperability, the Philippine armed forces […]
Philippines eyes future missile launchers purchase, to retain US Typhon system
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines hopes to procure mid-range capability missiles in future and wants to utilise a U.S.-deployed Typhon system for its military training, with no immediate plan for it to be returned, a top security official said on Friday. Confirming an earlier report by Reuters, Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said there was no set timeline for the withdrawal of the United States’ mid-range missile system from the country, which China has […]
Exclusive-US keeps missile system in Philippines as China tensions rise, tests wartime deployment
By Karen Lema and Poppy McPherson MANILA (Reuters) – The United States has no immediate plans to withdraw a mid-range missile system deployed in the Philippines, despite Chinese demands, and is testing the feasibility of its use in a regional conflict, sources with knowledge of the matter said. The Typhon system, which can be equipped with cruise missiles capable of striking Chinese targets, was brought in for joint exercises earlier this year, both countries said […]
Plan for summit on UN sidelines to seek ways ‘to talk sense’ into China, Philippines envoy says
David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A summit of at least 20 nations is planned on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly this month to seek ways “to talk some sense” into China over its confrontation with the Philippines in the South China Sea, Manila’s Washington envoy said on Tuesday. “The more countries band together and give a message to China that what they’re doing is definitely not on the right side of history, then we […]
Factbox-Who is Philippine ex-mayor Alice Guo and what is known about her arrest?
By Neil Jerome Morales and Mikhail Flores MANILA (Reuters) – Former Philippines mayor Alice Guo, accused of ties to Chinese criminal syndicates and money laundering, arrived in Manila on Friday on a chartered flight after being deported from Indonesia. Guo, also known as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, was arrested in the Indonesian city of Tangerang near the capital of Jakarta on Tuesday. Her case has gripped the Philippines at a time of growing suspicion […]
Philippines death toll from tropical storm Enteng (International name: Yagi) rises to 13
MANILA (Reuters) – At least 13 people have died in the Philippines due to tropical storm Yagi, while schools and government offices were closed in Manila and nearby provinces on Tuesday because of expected bad weather. Yagi, locally known as Enteng, made landfall on Monday in the eastern town of Casiguran in Aurora province, knocking out power in the municipality, disaster officer Elson Egargue said by phone. As of 8 a.m. (0000 GMT), the […]
China urges EU to be ‘objective and fair’ on South China Sea issue
BEIJING (Reuters) – China urged the European Union to be “objective and fair” and careful with words and actions on issues in the South China Sea, after the bloc remarked on an incident that occurred over the weekend. China said it was “strongly dissatisfied” with the European Union’s “accusations” against it on the issue, a statement by the Chinese mission to the EU showed. “The European Union is not a party to the South China […]





