Part One: Americans Prospecting GenSan as EDCA Site
In a flash, May Kay Carlson proved she is part of the problem President Bongbong Marcos Jr. has created with China rather than any solution.
Related:
US envoy says China’s maritime claims a ‘cartoon’
Read More »The drill in the disputed waters follows joint manoeuvres by the Philippines, US, Australia, Japan and New Zealand
PLA stages National Day drill in South China Sea in wake of 5-nation exercise
Related:
Biden Approves $567 Million in Military Aid for Taiwan, Angering China
Chinese Missile Boat Undertakes ‘Alarming’ Action (archived)
Read More »A Chinese navy missile craft shadowed a Philippine civilian ship on Friday in an unprecedented encounter that one analyst described as “alarming.”
The Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel the BRP Datu Romapenet was en route to a South China Sea feature known as Half Moon Shoal to deliver supplies to fishermen.
Half Moon Shoal is situated at the eastern edge of the Spratly Islands and about 60 miles from the Philippine province of Palawan, well within the Southeast Asian country’s recognized exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
According to the Philippines’ ABS-CBN News, which was onboard, the ship picked up a tail in the form of a Houbei-class (Type 22) guided-missile craft, easily identifiable by its wide camouflaged catamaran hull.
…
Chester Cabalza, founder of Manila-based think tank the International Development and Security Cooperation, told the news agency it was the first time a Type 22 had been spotted in the EEZ.
“This incident is alarming because a missile ship shadowed our BFAR ship,” Cabalza said, adding that it was a show of power intended to intimidate the Philippines.
The Voice of America, in an article about why the Quad met in Washington this week, claims that the aims of the Quad are to create an open and free Indo-Pacific. Biden, in a prepared remark, suggested his Administration believes “Xi Jinping is looking to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimise the turbulence in China’s diplomatic relationships, and he’s also looking to buy himself some diplomatic space”.
US’ $1.6 billion fund for ‘Info-War’ vs. China
The fund is assigned to the US State Department and USAID for spending over the next five years to “subsidize” media and civil society sources around the world and “counter Chinese ‘malign influence’ globally.
In the Philippines, this funding is already showing in many State Department and USAID funded reports in mainstream media outlets such as the Philippine Star and popularly known US shills such as Rappler.
These two US info-war outlets I mentioned regularly publish reports on “Chinese influence operations” basing all on materials provided by AidData and Internews, both of which are verifiable as US-funded anti-China operations.
There are tons of evidence of the AidData and Internews ties to the State Dept. and USAID. As well, there are more than enough proof that Philippine Star, Rappler and their ilk are “agents of influence of the US.”
Rappler and AidData for example jointly “launched a journalism training for Filipino journalists, and students” just this September. Philstar of course has Christina Chi and a staff of four writing about “Chinese influence ops” all based on Internews and AidData reports.
Our “mosquito” think tank, Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute (ACPSSII) has researched Internews and AidData, and we discovered the usual US oligarchs and US government donors to Internews. These include Omidyar (which donated at least $1.5-million to Rappler in 2018), Rupert Murdock’s Sky News and stated previously, the State Dept. and USAID.
Likewise, AidData and its parent organization, College of William and Mary’s have links to USAID, a fact that is open for anyone to see on the Internet.
Rappler, of course, has been “convicted” of violating Philippine law for being a foreign owned company which it eventually skirted when its foreign investors agreed to “donate” its PDR investment to Rappler’s 14 directors.
I find this very profitable for the directors and for the information warfare of the State Department courtesy of the highly “malleable” Philippine justice system, especially when it is the US pushing the levers of justice behind the scene.
Marites Vitug, Rappler editor-at-large was recently ‘honored’ by the US. Rogue State’s top foreign policy rag, ‘Foreign Affairs,’ by publishing her rubbish article. “America and the Philippines Should Call China’s Bluff.”
Related:
Read More »MANILA, Philippines — The spokesperson of the country’s security council said a replacement vessel is now actively patrolling Sabina (Escoda) Shoal, the latest flashpoint of Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
Replacement ship for Sabina Shoal now on patrol — Security Council
Related:
Collin Koh is Senior Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies which is a constituent unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, based in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He has research interests on naval affairs in the Indo-Pacific, focusing on Southeast Asia.
MANILA (Reuters) – The United States has no immediate plans to withdraw a mid-range missile system deployed in the Philippines, despite Chinese demands, and is testing the feasibility of its use in a regional conflict, sources with knowledge of the matter said.
US Keeps Missile System in Philippines as China Tensions Rise, Tests Wartime Deployment
Previously:
Philippines aims to acquire Typhon missile launcher as regional arms race intensifies
According to the article, Philippine aircraft also frequently operate with their Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transponders deactivated, significantly increasing safety risks.
Deactivating such transponders means real-time positioning of the aircraft is not shared with air traffic controllers and other aircraft, making it more difficult to maintain situational awareness and avoid potential conflicts or collisions.
Skies over South China Sea seen as new flashpoint as Manila begins ‘aerial provocations’
Related:
How far is China-Philippines Aerial Collision in the South China Sea?
Since August 2024, the Philippines has repeatedly dispatched military aircraft to trespass into the airspace of the Spratly Islands and Macclesfield Bank, escalating tensions in the region. On August 7 and 8, the Philippines sent an NC-212i aircraft to intrude into the airspace near Scarborough Shoal for two consecutive days, disrupting China’s regular training activities. On August 19, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan plane (C-208B) was dispatched to illegally enter the airspace of Scarborough Shoal. On August 22, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Philippines again sent a C-208B to illegally intrude into the vicinity of Subi Reef.
…
On the other hand, the Philippine aircraft in use are primarily single-engine turboprop light utility aircraft, which are less equipped to handle complex maritime environments, increasing the likelihood of accidents during frequent operations. Moreover, Philippine military aircraft usually operate with ADS-B transponders turned off throughout their missions, posing potential safety risks. In the event of an accident, whatever the reasons, based on past behavior, the Philippines would likely blame China, leading to another cycle of victim-playing and diplomatic posturing.
China is against the deployment of the Typhon in the Philippines, which has been used in joint military exercises involving US troops
Philippines aims to acquire Typhon missile launcher as regional arms race intensifies
Related:
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian’s Regular Press Conference on August 30, 2024:
Bloomberg: The Philippines’ top military official said that the deployment of the US missile system in the country was mainly for training. China has been in the past said that the weapon system could be destabilizing. Does the Foreign Ministry have any comments on the recent comments by the Philippines’ military chief?
Lin Jian: On the US deployment of Mid-Range Capability missile system in the Philippines, China has made clear our opposition more than once. This move by the US and the Philippines incites geopolitical confrontation, escalates tensions in the region, and harms regional peace and stability. It has aroused high vigilance and concerns of countries in the region. The Philippines needs to have a clear understanding of the real intention of the US, respond to the common concerns of regional countries, avoid acting as the cat’s paw for the US at the expense of its own security interest, and quickly pull out the missile system as publicly pledged.
While one side of the split personality of PBBM worked out with China a deesclation scheme for the Ayungin Shoal Rotation and Resupply (RORE) missions to the unrealizable U.S. Forward Operating Base (US-FOB) BRP Sierra Madre frustrating its “assertive transparency” strategy, the other lobotomized side of BBM’s brain taken over by the Americans thought up the Sabina Shoal BRP Sierra Teresa Magbanua US-FOB as a new locus for tension to propagandize.
Sabina shoal new US tension spot
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
You must be logged in to post a comment.