Beijing is to maintain military pressure on the Philippines amid a dispute over sovereignty in the South China Sea, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) said on Wednesday.
In a phone conversation with the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, Wang “warned that if the Philippine side misjudges the situation, goes its own way or even colludes with ill-intentioned external forces to continue to stir up troubles, China will defend its rights in accordance with law and respond resolutely,” Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Wang’s comments follow China’s mobilization of its coast guard and maritime militia to block Philippine supply missions to support its soldiers and fishers. China claims sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea, one of the world’s most crucial waterways for shipping, putting it at odds with the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
Photo: AP
Wang was quoted as saying the Philippines was “changed its policy stance so far, reneged on the promises it has made, provoked troubles at sea, and undermined China’s legitimate and lawful rights.”
“Noting that the bilateral relationship now stands at a crossroads, with its future yet to be decided, Wang said the Philippine side must act with caution,” Xinhua reported yesterday.
“Instead of continuing in the wrong direction, the Philippine side should return to the right path as soon as possible, with properly handling and managing the current maritime situation as a top priority,” Wang was quoted as saying.
Wang gave no details on what agreements Manila had allegedly abandoned.
Manalo’s office described the the conversation as a “frank and candid exchange,” saying the sides had reached a “clearer understanding of our respective positions on a number of issues.”
Territorial disputes have grown tenser as China seeks to cement its territorial claims in defiance of the US and its allies, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea and close partner Taiwan.
The head of the Philippine military was with his forces aboard a supply boat when it was blasted with a water cannon, surrounded and bumped by Chinese coast guard ships earlier this month in the disputed South China Sea.
China, meanwhile, accused the US of encouraging the Philippines, its treaty ally, to provoke China for its own purposes, though it provided no direct evidence.
Along with using water cannons, Philippine officials said that Chinese coast guard ships used a military-grade laser that caused Filipino crew members temporary blindness, and engaged in dangerous blocking and shadowing maneuvers that caused minor collisions.
Washington is bound by a 1951 treaty to help defend the Philippines from attack. That pledge has grown stronger with the election of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who recently said that the situation in the South China Sea “has become more dire” as China expands its presence.
China has showed interest in atolls and shoals that are “closer and closer” to the coast of the Philippines, with the nearest atoll about 60 nautical miles (111km) away, Marcos said during a visit to the US state of Hawaii last month.
The Philippine Coast Guard yesterday said it has deployed its largest vessel and an aircraft to challenge a Chinese research ship operating off northern Batanes near Taiwan, adding that a Chinese coast guard vessel had also moved in. The Philippine operation “disrupted the vessel’s unauthorized marine scientific research and compelled it to leave its loitering position,” said Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson on South China Sea issues. The Philippine Coast Guard said the BRP Teresa Magbanua and an aircraft were deployed to counter the Chinese vessel, which it said had remained about 37 nautical miles northwest of Itbayat Island since Monday. The
RUNWAY: Analysts said the first aircraft landing is expected by the middle of next year, while Chinese state media said it would serve civilian needs Chinese construction of a runway on Antelope Reef (Lingyang Reef, 羚羊礁) in the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), is well under way with analysts estimating it could be completed by the middle of next year, strengthening Beijing’s military control over the disputed South China Sea. Satellite images reviewed by Reuters show grading work, piles of gravel and concrete, and compaction cranes in operation to build a full-scale runway that military attaches and security analysts say could be one of China’s most important offshore bases in the region. The images, taken on Friday last week by commercial satellite imagery provider Vantor, also show
SHIFTING COOPERATION: With the new arrangement, US representatives would be able to participate directly in defense discussions, including weapons procurement Taiwan-US military cooperation is deepening, with the Pentagon expected to station personnel at the Ministry of National Defense (MND), sources said. The NT$470 million (US$14.77 million) joint program is scheduled to run from this year through 2028, under which the Pentagon would dispatch representatives from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Institute for Defense Analyses, a senior military official said on condition of anonymity, adding that one representative from each organization would be stationed at the ministry’s headquarters. The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy is one of the US’ bodies responsible for
The Presidential Office today condemned China's transnational repression after an alleged Chinese foreign agent was arrested in California yesterday on suspicion of surveilling President William Lai's (賴清德) son, Lai Ting-yu (賴廷與), the FBI said. The 34-year-old woman, named Wanying Heather Zhang (張婉瑩), was arrested on suspicion of acting as an unregistered foreign agent, US news agency CBS reported. She was apprehended at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday attempting to fly to Shanghai, it said. This represents a “typical case” of China’s transnational repression, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said today. "Our country expresses the strongest condemnation of such barbaric conduct that
RSS