IMOA
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US reaffirms: MDT covers ‘armed attacks’ on PH Coast Guard in South China Sea
SUMMARY MELBOURNE, Australia – The United States on Wednesday, March 6 (late Tuesday, March 5 in Washington DC), affirmed that attacks on the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) are covered by the decades-old Mutual Defense Treaty that binds Washington and Manila. “The United States stands with our ally the Philippines following the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) provocative actions against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the South China…
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LIVE: PH gov’t holds press conference on March 5 collision at Ayungin Shoal
MANILA, Philippines – The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) is holding a press conference on Wednesday, March 6, about the recent collision between Philippine and Chinese vessels at Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. The collision resulted in “minor structural damage” on a Philippine Coast Guard ship, while a separate cannon incident injured at least…
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ASEAN summit focus on maritime security, trade amid South China Sea tensions
SUMMARY Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday, March 6, that maritime security, trade, and clean energy will shape the country’s future with the ASEAN bloc as Beijing looks to increase its presence in the contested South China Sea. Australia is hosting the ASEAN summit in Melbourne, which marks the 50th anniversary of its ties to ASEAN even as…
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[ANALYSIS] The sharp power challenge: Defending PH from within
SUMMARY A study conducted by the Ateneo Policy Center, with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, posits that Beijing has stepped up its acts of political warfare against the Philippines. This may be in response to the Marcos administration’s foreign policy and national security posture in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). Kerry K. Gershaneck defines political warfare as, “The…
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Philippines tells China: ‘Leave the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal immediately’
SUMMARY MELBOURNE, Australia – The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday, March 5, demanded that “Chinese vessels leave the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal immediately” as it summoned one of Beijing’s envoys to Manila. The DFA, represented by Deputy Assistant Secretary Raphael Hermoso, summoned Beijing’s Deputy Chief of Mission Zhou Zhiyong after Chinese ships harassed, collided with, and used…
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Philippines, US to hold military drills in islands facing South China Sea, Taiwan
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and the United States will carry out annual military exercises next month in key locations including Philippine islands facing the South China Sea and Taiwan, as tensions with China in the region continue to simmer. The exercises, called Balikatan or “shoulder-to-shoulder”, will move away from sprawling military camps in the countryside to locations in…
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Philippines, US to hold military drills in islands facing South China Sea, Taiwan
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and the United States will carry out annual military exercises next month in key locations including Philippine islands facing the South China Sea and Taiwan, as tensions with China in the region continue to simmer. The exercises, called Balikatan or “shoulder-to-shoulder”, will move away from sprawling military camps in the countryside to locations in…
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Why Australia wants – and needs – to improve Southeast Asia ties
SUMMARY CANBERRA, Australia – It’s easy to find a Southeast Asian connection through key members of Australia’s Cabinet. Penny Wong, Foreign Minister and leader of the government in the Senate, was born in Sabah, Malaysia and speaks the language. Don Farrell, Minister for Trade and Tourism, lights up as he talks about marrying his Bicolana wife in Pasig City some…
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4 Filipinos hurt after China uses water cannons vs Ayungin resupply vessel
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – At least four Filipinos sustained “minor injuries” after two China Coast Guard (CCG) ships used water cannons against a much smaller military-contracted vessel during a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea on Tuesday, March 5. The four were on board the Unaizah May 4, one of two civilian vessels that the Philippine Navy tapped…
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A year after: Transparency in the West Philippine Sea
SUMMARY In an old, quiet low-rise apartment building near Malacañang, after climbing the narrow wooden stairs to the second and third floors, modern offices surprise you: freshly painted and renovated, complete with conference rooms and TV monitors, sleek new desks, and swivel chairs. Bright and well lit, some parts are draped by the morning sun as uniformed men and women from the…