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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A Chinese warship sailed within yards of an American destroyer — forcing it to change course — in an “unsafe and unprofessional” encounter as the US vessel was in contested waters in the South China Sea, an official said Monday. The USS Decatur guided-missile destroyer was conducting what the military calls a “freedom of navigation operation” Sunday, when it passed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs in […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — An American warship has sailed through waters off the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, in the latest implicit challenge to Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims in the region, the Pentagon said Sunday. “Guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur conducted a freedom of navigation operation,” an official told AFP. “Decatur sailed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs in the Spratly Islands.” The official said all US military operations […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US B-52 bombers have recently conducted transit operations in the South China Sea and East China Sea, the Pentagon said Wednesday, amid soaring tensions with Beijing over trade tariffs. Late Tuesday the heavy bombers “participated in a regularly scheduled, combined operation in the East China Sea,” Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn said. A defense official said the nuclear-capable aircrafts were escorted by Japanese fighters and the flight was part […]
(Eagle News) — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the militarization of the South China Sea in a meeting in Washington on Wednesday, Sept. 19. Heather Nauert, spokesperson for the United States Department of State, said also included in the agenda were the threats posed by terrorism and efforts to achieve denuclearization in North Korea. Nauert said the two secretaries also “reaffirmed the commitment” of the two countries to the […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan has carried out its first submarine drill in the South China Sea, a newspaper said Monday, a move that could provoke Beijing which claims most of the disputed waters. Submarine Kuroshio on Thursday joined three Japanese warships in waters just southwest of the China-controlled Scarborough Shoal, the Asahi Shimbun said. China claims most of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in shipping trade passes annually, despite competing […]
(Eagle News)–Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit the Philippines from Sept. 16 to 18. The Department of Foreign Affairs in a statement said his visit was upon the invitation of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano. According to the DFA, the visit is “aimed at further building on the increasingly strong foundation of friendship between the Philippines and China.” It will also “again provide both sides an opportunity to take stock of infrastructure projects under […]
(Eagle News) — The Philippines and the entire Association of Southeast Asian Nations are “nuclear-free” zones. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque reiterated this on Thursday, Aug. 23, after a US Defense Department’s annual report said China may add a “nuclear element” to the dispute in the South China Sea. According to Roque, the ASEAN also had a treaty that specified that the entire region was a “nuclear-free” area. “The important point to underscore is we have a nuclear-free […]
(Eagle News)–The Philippines is eyeing to sign the agreement on the joint exploration of the South China Sea with China “anytime between now and the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping” this year. This is according to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, who spoke in a press conference on Thursday, Aug. 9. “No time frame…It was not expressly stated as such,” Roque said. Despite the plan, Roque reiterated it was “clear we are not giving up […]
ASEAN and China agree on need for an effective Code of Conduct on South China Sea, he says (Eagle News) – Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said that the Philippines has taken over as country coordinator with China for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) dialogue and will be working for an effective Code of Conduct (COC) on the South China Sea, a flashpoint in the region. “So we are happy to take […]
by Martin Abbugao and Ayee Macaraig Agence France Presse SINGAPORE, Singapore — China wants to stage joint military exercises with Southeast Asian nations in disputed waters, according to a draft document, but says other countries should be excluded in what analysts say is a bid to diminish US influence. Beijing’s suggestions, which also call for joint oil and gas exploration, are part of efforts to expand its influence in the South China Sea, which it […]
by Daphné BENOIT Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — France is increasing its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, sending warships through the South China Sea and planning air exercises to help counter China’s military build-up in disputed waters. In late May, the French assault ship Dixmude and a frigate sailed through the disputed Spratly Islands and around a group of reefs that China has turned into islets to push back against Beijing’s claim […]
(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, June 6, dismissed anew calls for him to send soldiers to the West Philippine Sea to assert the country’s claims. In a speech on Tuesday night, Duterte said sending the troops to fight China, which has been aggressive in its militarization in the area, would “result in a massacre.” “I am not prepared to lose my soldiers and policeman for a simple adventurism,” Duterte said in a […]
