Manila’s persistent claimjumping efforts display the extent of its avariciousness

Manila’s persistent claimjumping efforts display the extent of its avariciousness

The latest incident in the waters adjacent to China’s Ren’ai Reef [AKA Second Thomas Shoal], in which there was slight collision when an illegally intruding Philippine supply ship dangerously approached a China Coast Guard vessel, is the latest in a series of risky encounters between Chinese law enforcement vessels and Philippine vessels near Ren’ai Reef in recent months due to the Philippines’ brazen land-grabbing antics.

Such incidents have occurred with increasing frequency as the Philippines has stepped up its efforts to ship construction materials to an aging warship it deliberately ran aground on the reef so it can make it a permanent facility, thus driving in its stake to claim the reef as its territory.

With new procedures coming into effect on June 15, the China Coast Guard will be equipped with more forceful legal measures to enforce maritime law and advance China’s maritime legal governance in its territorial waters, including detaining foreign ships that have illegally entered China’s waters.

Related:

China and Philippines Quarrel over South China Sea Collision

U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson condemned China’s “aggressive, dangerous” maneuvers in a post on X, saying the collision had “caused bodily injury.”

In response, the Philippine coastguard said on Monday it has ordered the deployment of two vessels to patrol and ensure the safety of Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal – a second flashpoint about 640 km (345 nautical miles) away from Second Thomas Shoal.

Separately, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement it had concluded a two-day joint maritime exercise with the militaries of Canada, Japan, and the Philippines’ within Manila’s EEZ in the South China Sea.

Philippines’ grounding warship illegal, escalating tensions unacceptable: Chinese FM (videos)

The Philippines released the video of CCG ‘stealing’ supplies after China released the footage of the gunmen on the BRP Sierra Madre. This, after BBM said that any Filipino death would trigger the US-PH Mutual Defense Treaty.

Full video

Philippines’ grounding warship illegal, escalating tensions unacceptable: Chinese FM

Source

Philippine Marines Drew Firearms as China Seized Second Thomas Shoal Airdrop, Says Philippine Military Chief

Source

BBM: Any Filipino death from foreign attack triggers US-PH defense pact (US government-funded Rappler)

Full video

H/T: rhk111

WikiSpooks: Rappler (Sponsored by Facebook, Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Google, Internews, National Endowment for Democracy, Open Society Foundations, Omidyar Network)

China sending huge force in Scarborough ahead of civilian mission

Source

Atin Ito Coalition has connections to groups that have been funded by Oxfam International, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the European Union, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (Friedrich Ebert Foundation), and the National Endowment for Democracy. Find more information here.

China sending huge force in Scarborough ahead of civilian mission

“China is sending a huge force to blockade Scarborough Shoal ahead of the Atin Ito civilian convoy setting sail from the Philippines Tuesday,” Powell, who heads the program of Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation that tracks Chinese maritime activities in the West Philippine Sea, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

China seized Scarborough Shoal’s lagoon in 2012 after a CCG standoff with Philippine vessels.

Related:

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Philippines accuses China of damaging its vessel in disputed South China Sea shoal (videos)

Sky News / PCG

BEIJING/MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines on Tuesday accused China’s coast guard of harassment and damaging one of its boats in a disputed area of the South China Sea, and rejected Beijing’s position that it had expelled two vessels from the hotly contested shoal.

The Philippine coast guard said its two vessels stood their ground at the Scarborough Shoal, a key battleground in the South China Sea, but one sustained damage from use of water cannon by two Chinese coast guard ships.

Philippines accuses China of damaging its vessel in disputed South China Sea shoal

This is the second ship that “stood its ground” /s:

Source

PNoy, Del Rosario responsible for PH losing control of Scarborough

The term “lost* Scarborough shoal” is debatable. Security officials deny that. Foreign affairs officials will not say that because that would be detrimental to the claim of the Philippines on the shoal which is included in the case filed by the Philippines against China before the United National Arbitral Court.

*Yet, that’s precisely what Kurt Campbell said in his book, The Pivot (p. 225).

Note: VERA Files is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, Check Global by Meedan, Facebook, Open Society Foundations, and International Media Support.

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CRUSH THE PHILIPPINES

CRUSH THE PHILIPPINES

April 28, 2024 by Mauro Gia Samonte

BRIGHT as the sun shines, this is what will happen in our country when the war that the United States has planned to detonate in the Philippines since 2014 breaks out. In the said year, America planned the war in Ukraine. It came true. In the same year, America planned Israel’s war against Hamas. It came true. The parallel plan made in the Philippines by America is what is contained in the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) obtained by the United States (US) in the administration of Benigno Aquino III in 2014. Under the agreement, the US was granted five military base of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to deploy American troops and military equipment that is unlimited in number and cannot be inspected by the Philippine authorities. Entering 2023, the five EDCA bases were increased by Bongbong by four more, which really boiled the tension in the South China Sea. China could not hide its simmering anger.

“Don’t be an idol in America,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned the Philippines.

Although the agreement states that nuclear weapons cannot be deployed at EDCA bases, the Philippine authorities have no way to ensure that this will be followed because of the EDCA provision that such American deployments cannot be inspected by the Filipino authority. Based on the double (treasonous) American face in world politics, it can be expected that at the EDCA bases nuclear weapons are already present and deployed, ready to be launched at any time needed.

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China gathers naval leaders worldwide to discuss maritime security while US conducts drills to ‘destabilize S. China Sea’

US and Philippines launch Balikatan joint military drills in South China Sea

This year’s staging of Balikatan, the allies’ largest annual military drill, will include a joint sail in the disputed South China Sea outside the Philippines’ territorial waters. The French navy, a first-time Balikatan participant, and the Australian navy will also join the manoeuvres.

While the US and the Philippines resumed joint naval patrols in the area last year, and the US has in the past sailed there with other allies and partners, it will be the first time that the Balikatan drills have extended beyond 12 nautical miles off the Philippine coast and into waters claimed by China.

Six Philippine coast guard vessels will also participate in the drill, the first time the service — which has been at the forefront of frequent clashes with China over the past year — has been included in a military exercise.

Another closely watched component of the drills will be the Strategic Mid-Range Fires missile system, known as Typhon, which has a range of up to 2,500km. The US Army airlifted the system to the Philippines this month, the first such deployment in the Indo-Pacific. Intermediate-range ground-launched missiles had been banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, but the pact collapsed in 2019 after both the US and Russia left it.

Troops will also practise tracking and targeting air and missile threats, retaking enemy-occupied islands in the Philippines’ far north, just south of Taiwan, and sinking a ship off the coast facing the South China Sea, expanding on drills last year.

The exercise coincides with an annual conference by China’s Navy, which will be attended by senior military officers including from the US. It also comes as US secretary of state Antony Blinken is heading to China on Wednesday in the two countries’ latest effort to manage tense relations.

Related:

China gathers naval leaders worldwide to discuss maritime security while US conducts drills to ‘destabilize S. China Sea

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China exposes Philippines’ reneging on South China Sea commitment

Source

Related:

China exposes Philippines’ reneging on South China Sea commitment

Wang pointed out that the Philippines has made a solemn promise to tow away the military vessel illegally grounded at Ren’ai Jiao, noting that 25 years have passed, and the Philippines has still not towed away the warship.

Noting that the Philippines has violated the understanding reached between the two sides on the proper management of the situation on Ren’ai jiao, the spokesperson said despite the Philippines’ commitment not to reinforce the grounded warship and to notify China in advance of any plans to resupply it, China, out of humanitarian considerations, has made temporary special arrangements for Philippine vessels transporting necessary supplies to the warship multiple times.

“However, the Philippines continues to send government vessels and warships to forcibly enter Ren’ai Jiao, attempting to transport construction materials for large-scale repairs and reinforcement of the warship in order to achieve permanent occupation of Ren’ai Jiao,” Wang said.

PH did promise to remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin

Philippines Budgets for a Permanent Base at Second Thomas Shoal

It’s Time to Build Combined Forward Operating Base Sierra Madre