Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday denied the existence of a “gentleman’s agreement” between his predecessor and the Chinese government that Manila would not make repairs to a military outpost on a contested shoal in the South China Sea. Last week, Harry Roque, who served as Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential spokesperson, told the media that Duterte … Read more
President Joe Biden will China about its recent aggressive activity in the South China Sea when he meets later this week with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Washington, according to a report in the Financial Times. According to the report, which cited two senior U.S. officials with knowledge … Read more
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte allegedly made a “gentleman’s agreement” with the Chinese government for handling tensions in the South China Sea. Harry Roque, who served as Duterte’s presidential spokesperson, told the media this week that Duterte enjoined the Chinese government to observe the status quo in the disputed waters, which meant there would be … Read more
The Philippines is set to launch joint naval patrols in the South China Sea with Japan and the United States later this year, in a bid to counter China’s increasingly assertive behavior in disputed waters. The news was reported on Friday by the U.S.-based outlet Politico, which cited “a U.S. official and a foreign diplomat … Read more
Chinese vessels have again blocked and fired water cannons at a Philippine supply ship close to a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, causing “heavy damage” to the wooden vessel and injuries to several of its crew, according to the Philippine government. In a series of social media posts on Saturday, the Armed Forces … Read more
The recent state visit of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Hanoi was the latest sign of the growing strategic convergence between the Philippines and Vietnam regarding maritime security and the South China Sea. Building on a range of past efforts, both leaders confirmed an agreement on coast guard cooperation and a future bilateral code … Read more
Chinese and Philippine vessels have once again collided in a contested part of the South China Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said today, as maritime disputes dominated discussions at a regional summit in Australia. PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela said the collision occurred during a routine “rotation and reprovisioning,” or RoRe operation designed to support … Read more
The Philippine government says that it plans to “validate and investigate” reports from Filipino fisherfolk that their Chinese counterparts are using cyanide to catch fish at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. At a press conference on Saturday, Nazario Briguera, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) alleged … Read more
Earlier this week, a senior official of the Philippine Navy announced that it had deployed a warship off the waters of Palawan Island, its westernmost island, in order to “protect its maritime interests,” at a time of frequent stand-offs with Chinese vessels in the South China Sea. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Commodore Edward … Read more
Recent tensions between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea, especially the Chinese blockade of the Philippines-controlled Second Thomas Shoal, have alerted all countries with a stake in the regional disputes to the risk of a possible crisis involving China and its maritime neighbors. To counteract its weakening position at sea vis-à-vis China … Read more