West Philippine Sea
-
Marcos on West Philippine Sea: We have not rejected any proposal China made to us
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asserted that his administration has not turned down any suggestion raised by China in managing the escalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea. “We have not rejected any proposal that China made to us, but the premise is something we question,” he said during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf…
-
DFA fumes as China makes public ‘sensitive details,’ including Duterte-era deal
SUMMARY At least once a month, when the Philippine military and the Philippine Coast Guard voyage to Ayungin Shoal for a mission to bring new troops and supplies to the BRP Sierra Madre, both Beijing and Manila are quick to issue statements on the inevitable tensions out in open sea. Confrontations, including one in early March 2024 that caused bodily…
-
FACT CHECK: No Marcos order expelling China from West PH Sea
SUMMARY Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has sent China away from the West Philippine Sea following reports of Chinese presence in Bajo de Masinloc. Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube channel with 384,000 subscribers posted a video on February 28, which has gained 994 likes, 37,430 views, and 227 comments as of writing. The video’s title and thumbnail bore the…
-
Marcos says Ayungin incident no reason to invoke MDT
SUMMARY MELBOURNE, Australia – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, March 6, said it is not the time to invoke the country’s Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States, even after four Navy personnel sustained minor injuries from actions of the China Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea. “I do not think that it is a time or the…
-
FULL TEXT: Marcos urges ASEAN to ‘collectively and constructively address challenges together’
SUMMARY MELBOURNE, Australia – Speaking before fellow leaders and Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Australia Special Summit, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on the bloc to see conflicts not just through the lens of major power rivalry but as “direct challenges to the sovereignty of independent states.” Marcos spoke twice during the…
-
Philippines says China ‘deliberately stirring up trouble’ in South China Sea
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines on Wednesday, March 6, accused China of “deliberately stirring up trouble” in the South China Sea. Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for a Manila task force on South China Sea, also said China is “maliciously inciting hype” while reiterating the Philippines will not be deterred from exercising its maritime rights. He added the waterway was wide…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
[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…