The Philippines is strengthening its defence partnerships with the US, Canada, and New Zealand amid rising tensions with China in the South China Sea. Manila is expanding military drills and negotiating new agreements to counter Beijing's assertive maritime claims.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has offered to return US Typhon missiles if China halts its aggressive actions in the South China Sea, including harassment of Filipino fishermen and territorial claims.
China's twisting of the truth is becoming increasingly bizarre as it attempts to drive the Philippines out of its own exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.
Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder said, "What I would say is the Philippines remains the lead for its own operations in the South China Sea, and we continue to provide significant advisory support in addition to our efforts to help modernise the Philippine military."
The exercise on Friday is the first such joint activity between the coast guards of the two countries amid ongoing territorial disputes with each other and, more significantly with China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea as its own.
China carried out air and sea combat patrols near Scarborough Shoal - to test "strike capabilities" on the same day that the US, Australia, Canada and Philippines conducted military manoeuvres within Manila's exclusive economic zone.
Apparently with China's assertiveness in the East and South China seas in mind, the three countries also reaffirmed that they "strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific."
Regarding Chinese aggressiveness in the South China Sea, the Ministry of External Affairs said that India has clarified its position several times as to how it looks at this situation and emphasised the importance of international law, respect for a rules-based order and peaceful resoluti
The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Philippines, General Romeo Brawner called upon China over repeated confrontations between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea.
Days after Taiwan's Lai Ching Te was sworn in island's President, China launched two-day-long military drills surrounding the nation in what it called "punishment" for so-called "separatist acts," reported CNN.
The US military warned that China is moving forward with developing floating nuclear reactors in the South China Sea to hold up its claim to the disputed maritime territory, on which, the analysts stressed that the development would pose risks to the environment, reported Voice of America (V