How the Philippines ‘covertly’ reinforced the BRP Sierra Madre

Source

China reveals Philippine Personnel secretly resupplying BRP Sierra Madre by posing as Fishermen

Personally, I think that these “Secret” Operations are being done by the Naval Special Operations Command (NAVSOCOM) of the Philippine Navy (PN) as this seems to fall under their Area of Responsibility.

Remember that the NAVSOCOM Troops were also the ones that were involved in an Altercation with the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) earlier this Month.

PH NAVSOCOM trains with the U.S. Navy SEALs:

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SCS: PLA Navy ramps up training, patrols to deter potential provocation

US keeps stoking tensions despite Philippine’s failed latest provocation

PLA Naval deterrence

The Chinese PLA Navy has reportedly ramped up training exercises and patrols in and near the South China Sea amid the recent tensions in the region caused by the Philippines’ continuous provocations.

A naval task force featuring landing ships the Danxiashan, the Laotieshan and the Lushan recently carried out a four-day all-weather full-course combat exercise in the South China Sea, as the warships practiced air defense, alongside berthing and personnel rescuing, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Saturday.

Observers said these landing ships are of the Type 072 and Type 073 series, which are smaller than the PLA Navy’s Type 071 amphibious landing ship and Type 075 amphibious assault ship.

While the larger amphibious vessels can carry more troops and equipment and release them at a certain distance away from the shore, the smaller landing ships can conduct grounding operations directly on islands and reefs, giving the latter special roles to play, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.

For example, Type 072 series landing ships have participated in multiple major military operations, including the building of the maritime observation station on Yongshu Jiao (also known as Yongshu Reef) in the Nansha Qundao (also known as the Nansha Islands) in the South China Sea in 1988, thepaper.cn reported.

The drills came after Philippine media reported the presence of a Type 071 amphibious landing ship and a Type 075 amphibious assault ship near the Nansha Qundao this month, as the PLA Navy has reportedly its vast amphibious arsenal deployed in the region. 

Amphibious vessels are not the only forces the PLA Navy has deployed in the South China Sea, as it has also sent some of its most powerful surface warships to the region for drills and patrols.

The armed forces of the Philippines on Friday confirmed the transit of four PLA Navy warships headed by the Type 055 large destroyer Dalian through the Balabac Strait on Wednesday, Philippine media outlet the Daily Tribune reported on Saturday.

The Philippine side said that the Balabac Strait, connecting the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea, “is commonly used by international vessels.”

Earlier this month, official Chinese media revealed that three other Type 055s, widely believed to be the world’s most powerful destroyer, the Xianyang, the Zunyi and the Yan’an, had also recently conducted round-the-clock long-endurance combat exercises in the South China Sea.

This means that all four Type 055 large destroyers currently in service with the navy of the PLA Southern Theater Command facing the South China Sea were sailing in or near the South China Sea recently.

Nancy Pelosi Meets With Dalai Lama, Despite China’s Criticism

Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, addressing the Tibetan government in exile in Dharamsala, India, on Tuesday. Credit: Reuters

A high-level U.S. congressional delegation, including the former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, met with the Dalai Lama at his Indian home on Wednesday, a visit that was condemned in advance by China’s government, which considers the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader a separatist.

Nancy Pelosi Meets With Dalai Lama, Despite China’s Criticism

Related:

US lawmakers pass Tibet policy bill that questions China’s claims over region

Tibet

Philippine Sailor Severely Injured, Vessels Damaged as Chinese Block South China Sea Mission + Notes

Source

It was the Philippines that rammed the CCG!* US-funded Rappler** doesn’t mention the other soldiers who were injured.

Philippine Sailor Severely Injured, Vessels Damaged as Chinese Block South China Sea Mission

Meanwhile, a Philippine government release from the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea stated that ships from the People’s Liberation Army Navy, China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia performed “dangerous maneuvers.” However, there is no mention of injury to Philippine personnel in the release. The statement also claimed that Chinese forces rammed and towed Philippine vessels, although it’s unclear to what extent the latter occurred during the incident. This is the first reported instance of China towing – defined as pulling, pushing or hauling – Philippine vessels in their South China Sea disputes.

Related:

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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.

South Korea to resume loudspeaker broadcasts at DPRK

South Korea to resume loudspeaker broadcasts at DPRK

The “Fighters for Free North Korea*” group claimed to have sent balloons containing USB thumb drives loaded with K-pop music and 200,000 leaflets criticizing Kim Jong Un, while another group of DPRK defectors dispatched balloons containing anti-Pyongyang leaflets, radios, and USB thumb drives featuring a speech by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

In 2020, South Korea’s Constitutional Court invalidated a law criminalizing the sending of anti-Pyongyang propaganda, citing it as an undue restriction on free speech**. Consequently, experts argue that there are currently no legal grounds for the government to intervene in activists’ balloon launches into the DPRK. The South Korean Unification Ministry stated that the issue is being deliberated in light of the 2023 court ruling.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have endured for an extended period as a result of systemic escalation on the part of Japan, the US, and South Korea.

The three nations have been conducting joint naval drills in the peninsula and along the demilitarized zone, which has triggered major security concerns on the part of DPRK.

Related:

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Washington Escalates Pressure Against Venezuela on the Essequibo Front

After the signing of the Argyle Declaration between Venezuela and Guyana on December 14, 2023, many events have occurred. Instead of reducing tensions as the agreement signed in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines had intended, it seems that tensions have been rising steadily and silently.

Washington Escalates Pressure Against Venezuela on the Essequibo Front

Related:

Government and corporate funded CSIS: The Essequibo Pressure Cooker

2020 Guyanese Election & Venezuela-Guyana Border Dispute

Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela will be targeted again for regime change by the CIA front, NED.

For a Just and Multipolar World Order: Russia and China Strengthen Alliance

The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has arrived in China on his first official visit abroad after his recent inauguration. He was received by his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, with whom he held talks agreeing to deepen mutual political trust and contribute to global security and stability.

For a Just and Multipolar World Order: Russia and China Strengthen Alliance

Related:

Xi Agrees To Deepen China-Russia Military Ties, Brushing Off US Warnings