Published October 20, 2023
The Philippines says it has suspended a military exchange program with China. It cites the Chinese coast guard’s use of water cannons against Philippine ships in the South China Sea. The two countries have overlapping claims in the waters.
The chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, General Romeo Brawner Jr., spoke at a news conference in the capital, Manila, on Thursday.
Brawner said he ordered the suspension in August after the China Coast Guard fired water cannons on two Philippine military transport boats and two Philippine Coast Guard vessels in waters near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Manila says this occurred in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Two days after the maritime incident, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo summoned China’s ambassador in Manila to convey a strong protest.
The China Coast Guard justified its actions, saying it used the water cannons as the Filipino vessels intruded into Chinese waters despite repeated warnings.
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SOURCE: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231020_02/
RELATED: Europe in focus as Philippines launches new security policy
Tensions have worsened between China and several Southeast Asian states that have disputed claims over territory in the South China Sea
Published October 19, 2023
As the Philippines forges alliances in Europe to counter China’s rising military activity near Taiwan and the South China Sea, European companies are looking to play a larger defense role to the Southeast Asian nation.
In August, Ursula von der Leyen vowed to strengthen maritime security cooperation with the Philippines, as she became the first European Commission president to visit the Southeast Asian country.
“We are ready to strengthen the cooperation with the Philippines on maritime security in the region by sharing information, conducting threat assessment and building the capacity of your coast guard,” von der Leyen said at a joint news conference with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
But it has been relatively unclear as to what exactly the EU can offer Manila to protect itself against increasingly hostile actions from China — which is engaged in a long-running dispute with the Philippines over territory in the South China Sea.
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SOURCE: https://www.dw.com/en/europe-in-focus-as-philippines-launches-new-security-policy/a-67149320
RELATED: US, Philippines wrap up naval drill amid clashes in South China
U.S. Navy personnel signal to an SH-60K Seahawk helicopter assigned to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force as it lands on the flight deck aboard the American destroyer Dewey during the Sama Sama exercise on Oct. 8, 2023. (MC1 Greg Johnson/U.S. Navy)
Published October 18, 2023
The United States and the Philippines have wrapped up joint naval drills near the Asian nation that focused on replenishment at sea, naval warfare, and human assistance and disaster response.
The exercise took place amid ongoing tension in the South China Sea, with resupply operations stoking diplomatic spats between the Philippines and China.
Started in 2017, Sama Sama is an annual maritime training event between the Philippines and the U.S. that includes nontraditional security drills. In 2016, then-President Rodrigo Duterte scrapped military drills with the United States, including the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training effort and the amphibious landing exercise PHILBEX.
