BRP SIERRA MADRE
Poised along the Indian border, Chinese troops are there for the long haul
The Strategic Studies Institute of the US Army War College published an in-depth report examining PLA activity along the mountainous border in Aksai Chin opposite India in 2020-21. It considered how the PLA rapidly moved troops into the region as violence flared between Chinese and Indian troops in Galwan Valley on 15-16 June 2020. However, Blasko, a former US defence attache in Beijing and Hong Kong, also provided a useful assessment of current and future conditions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
President Ferdinand Marcos says Philippines must 'do more' than protest China sea actions
President Ferdinand Marcos said Thursday that the Philippines needs to do more than protest Beijing's "illegal actions" in the South China Sea. "So, although there were no arms involved, nonetheless, it is still a deliberate action and it is essentially an illegal action that was taken by Chinese forces."
Philippines rules out invoking defence treaty with US after South China Sea clash with the Dragon
The Philippines announced on Friday that it has no intention of invoking its mutual defense treaty with the United States following a violent confrontation with Chinese coast guard at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. The incident involved the ramming, boarding, and damage of Philippine navy boats, as well as the seizure of rifles. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s advisers clarified in a news conference that Manila does not consider the incident an armed attack, a prerequisite for invoking the treaty.
Philippines demands China return rifles and pay for boat damage after hostilities in disputed sea
The Philippine military chief has demanded China return rifles and equipment seized by the Chinese coast guard and pay for damages after an incident in the South China Sea's disputed Second Thomas Shoal. Chinese personnel rammed and boarded Philippine navy boats, seizing supplies and wounding Filipino personnel. Video footage shows the chaotic confrontation. China claims the Philippine personnel "trespassed," while the U.S. reiterated its defense obligations to the Philippines. The incident highlights ongoing tensions in the South China Sea, involving multiple regional claimants and the potential for broader conflict.
Philippines demands China return rifles and pay for boat damage after hostilities in disputed sea
The Philippine military chief demanded that China return rifles and equipment seized by the Chinese coast guard in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, resembling an act of piracy. Chinese personnel clashed with Filipino navy, seizing boats, damaging equipment, and injuring navy personnel at Second Thomas Shoal, also claimed by Beijing.
China's 'salami-slicing strategy' against Philippines in disputed sea
Ramming boats, building militarised islands and threatening perceived trespassers -- China is escalating confrontations with the Philippines in a bid to push it out of the South China Sea, analysts say. The militarised islands enable Chinese vessels to patrol as far south as Indonesia and Malaysia.
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Philippines says Beijing's words not matching actions in South China Sea
The ministry denounced China's "illegal and aggressive actions" during a routine resupply mission in the South China Sea on June 17, which the Philippine military said had severely injured a navy sailor and damaged Manila's vessels.
China says a Chinese vessel and Philippine supply ship collided in the disputed South China Sea
The Chinese coast guard said in a statement on the social media platform WeChat the Philippine supply ship "ignored China's repeated solemn warnings ... and dangerously approached a Chinese vessel in normal navigation in an unprofessional manner, resulting in a collision".
Philippines says troops held weapons but did not point at Chinese coast guard
Philippine troops on a warship in the South China Sea held onto their weapons after a close encounter with Chinese coast guard boats at a disputed shoal.
Philippines prepared to respond to China's attempts to interfere with re-supply missions
The Philippines is prepared to respond to any attempts by China to disrupt its supply missions in the South China Sea and protect its troops stationed in the area, according to a top security official. Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for the National Security Council, stated that the Philippines is committed to maintaining its position at the Second Thomas Shoal and will continue re-supply missions to Filipino soldiers on the grounded warship there. Malaya emphasized that the Philippines' response to China's actions will be "multi-dimensional" and not solely military, including adjustments to re-supply missions and operations in the South China Sea.
China gets increasingly rambunctious in South China Sea
Chairman Xi Jinping's hardening stance against the Philippines has led to increased aggression by the China Coast Guard (CCG) in the South China Sea, particularly at Second Thomas Shoal. The CCG has been harassing Philippine resupply missions to a garrison there, with incidents including water cannon use and ramming. The Philippines has protested these actions, stating they violate international law. Despite efforts to resolve differences peacefully, China's actions continue to escalate tensions in the region. The Philippines seeks wider international support against China's aggressive expansionist tactics.
Chinese, Philippine deputy FMs hold phone call over South China Sea: Beijing
Deputy foreign ministers from China and the Philippines held a phone call on Monday, the countries said, after Manila summoned a Chinese envoy over "aggressive actions" by the China Coast Guard in the contested South China Sea. The Philippines said the China Coast Guard blocked its supply vessel and damaged it with water cannon, injuring three soldiers.
Philippines won't allow China to remove its military outpost in a disputed shoal, its navy says
The Philippines has reaffirmed its stance on defending its military outposts in the South China Sea against Chinese encroachment. After a confrontation between Chinese and Philippine ships left four Filipino navy personnel injured, Philippine officials summoned a Chinese Embassy diplomat in Manila to protest the incident. The Philippines will not allow China to remove its military outpost in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal. Additionally, Philippine navy Commodore Roy Trinidad stated that the country will not permit the construction of any structures in Scarborough Shoal.
Philippine and Chinese vessels collide in disputed South China Sea and 4 Filipino crew are injured
The Chinese coast guard ships and accompanying vessels blocked the Philippine coast guard and supply vessels off the disputed Second Thomas Shoal and executed dangerous maneuvers that caused two minor collisions between the Chinese ships and two of the Philippine vessels, Philippine officials said.
Dozens of Chinese ships chase Philippine vessels as US renews warning it will defend its treaty ally
At the height of Friday's four-hour faceoff in the high seas, a Chinese coast guard ship blasted a water cannon toward a Philippine motorboat delivering food and other supplies to Filipino forces at a marooned, rusting warship that serves as the country's fragile territorial outpost at Second Thomas Shoal.
China, Philippines trade accusations over collision in South China Sea
The two countries have had numerous run-ins in areas of the South China Sea in recent months, especially the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands.
Philippines, China lodge protests over maritime collisions
The countries have traded blame over Sunday's incidents near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, with both sides filing diplomatic protests and releasing videos to support their accusations.
Australia's biggest warship deployed in Philippine drills
Australia's largest warship joined joint military exercises with the Philippines and the US in the contested South China Sea. China claims almost the entire region and has ramped up patrols and militarised the area, despite a 2016 ruling against Chinese claims. The August 14-31 multi-national "Exercise Alon", part of Australia's annual Indo-Pacific Endeavour, involves more than 2,000 troops from the three countries.
Major restructure sees China's PLA air force take over naval aircraft
The People's Liberation Army (PLA), an armed force beholden to the Chinese Communist Party, is the world's largest military. Its pursuit of "jointness" between the various armed services has been made evident in the recent blockade of a Philippine outpost in the South China Sea, and in the recent transfer of naval aviation assets into the hands of the PLA Air Force.
China demands Philippines remove grounded ship from disputed waters
China has once again asked the Philippines to remove a ship from a reef in the South China Sea, which Manila has used to stake a claim on the Spratly Islands in defiance of China's claims. The ship, BRP Sierra Madre, was deliberately grounded in the late 1990s by the Philippines to check China's advance in the area.
Why is a rusty Philippine warship involved in the South China Sea dispute?
A crumbling World War II-era Philippine navy vessel stranded on a submerged reef in the South China Sea has long been a flashpoint between Manila and Beijing in their territorial dispute over the waters. AFP looks at how a rusting hulk named after a Philippine mountain range ended up at the centre of the latest diplomatic spat over the South China Sea.
Philippines summons Chinese ambassador over water cannon incident in disputed sea, official says
The Philippine government has summoned the Chinese ambassador to convey a diplomatic protest after a Chinese coast guard used a water cannon to block a Filipino supply boat from delivering troops and supplies to the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. Other states including the US, the EU, Australia, and Japan have expressed concern over China’s actions. The disputed South China Sea is considered a hotly-contested issue and a fragile fault line between the US and China.
Philippine military condemns Chinese coast guard's use of water cannon on its boat in disputed sea
China has long demanded that the Philippines withdraw its small contingent of naval forces and tow away the actively commissioned but crumbling BRP Sierra Madre. The navy ship was deliberately marooned on the shoal in 1999 and now serves as a fragile symbol of Manila's territorial claim to the atoll.
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