Germany ready to work with PH to prevent crisis in SCS

THE GERMAN government is ready to work with Manila to prevent a crisis from breaking out in the South China Sea (SCS) by helping it promote international law while strengthening its maritime security, its top diplomat said Thursday after raising concern over the rising tensions in the region.

‘We won’t give up territory in WPS’ – Marcos

IN ANOTHER show of patriotism and defiance against China’s continuing harassment of Filipino vessels in the West Philippines Sea, President Ferdinand Marcos reiterated the country will not cede any territory amid the territorial dispute and will continue to adhere to international rules-based order and strengthen alliances with its partners.

Marcos defies China, asserts sovereignty over contested reef

CHINA IS demanding the Philippines remove a scuttled naval vessel being used as an occupied base from the disputed Ayungin Shoal or Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, but President Ferdinand Marcos stood firm that the country will continue to assert its sovereignty over the territory.

Compromise in South China Sea working, says Marcos

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand Marcos said there is notable progress in the fishing talks between Manila and Beijing China because of continued discussion between the two countries.

Austin says U.S. will continue push for open Indo-Pacific

THE United States will continue to work with regional allies to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region, despite challenges emanating from China, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in Singapore. 

Philippines to acquire submarines

'China continues harassments in Philippine territories’

MANILA – The Philippines plans to acquire submarines for its navy and to build  domestic assembly and construction of other naval assets as China continues its harassment of civilian and Coast Guard vessels in the South China Sea and Filipino territories.

U.S. warns China: Stop sea aggression!

WASHINGTON HAS warned Beijing against continued harassment in the South China Sea, saying an armed attack on Filipino armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft, including those of the Coast Guard, would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S. Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty. 

EDCA will protect Philippines: Marcos

PRESIDENT FERDINAND Marcos Jr. said the presence of U.S. forces in the Philippines under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) will help protect the country and strengthen its defense amid the growing tension in the South China Sea.

Philippines, U.S. reveal 4 new EDCA sites

MANILA AND Washington announced announced four new sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Arrangement (EDCA) and these are the Naval Base Camilo Osias in Santa Ana town and Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan province; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu town in Isabela province; and Balabac Island in Palawan province.

U.S. war with China, Russia not inevitable

THE UNITED States must remain the most powerful nation on Earth if peace is to continue between the U.S., China and Russia, said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, who recently testified about the Defense Department’s fiscal year 2024 budget request at a House Armed Services Committee hearing.

Philippines to name 4 U.S. military bases ahead of war games

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Philippines said it will soon announce the sites of at least four U.S. military bases in the country which is part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between Washington and Manila as both countries prepare to hold joint war games in the South China Sea.

Philippines, U.S. to hold largest ever joint war games

THE PHILIPPINES and the United States will hold their largest ever joint military exercises next month, Filipino and American officials said, as the longtime allies seek to counter China’s growing regional influence.

Marcos vows to modernize air force

PRESIDENT FERDINAND Marcos Jr. praised Filipino air force pilots as he underscored the importance of increasing the country’s defense capabilities to effectively guard its maritime territory, especially in the South China Sea.

Austin in Philippines to discuss larger US military presence

MANILA - Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in the Philippines on Wednesday for talks about deploying U.S. forces and weapons in more Philippine military camps to ramp up deterrence against China’s increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea. 

Chinese minister hopes Philippines will revive talks on oil, gas deals in South China Sea

A CHINESE minister has expressed hope for the revival of talks with the Philippines on oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea, without undermining each other’s claims in the disputed waterway.

U.S. destroyer sails past Chinese-held South China Sea islands

THE U.S. Navy sailed a destroyer close to China-controlled islands in the South China Sea in what Washington said was a patrol aimed at asserting freedom of navigation through the strategic seaway.

Philippines investigates ‘acoustic glider’ recovered off Ilocos province

MANILA – The Philippines is investigating a suspected Chinese acoustic glider recovered by a fisherman floating at sea off the northern Filipino province of Ilocos Norte.

Sea feud with China flares up

THE PHILIPPINE government said it filed a new diplomatic protest against China over disputes in the South China Sea, a long-thorny issue that has flared anew as newly-elected President Bongbong Marcos prepares to take office.

Duterte, Xi talk for hour after ‘Balikatan’ war game

Presidents Rodrigo Duterte and Xi Jinping

THE PHILIPPINES and China have agreed to exert all efforts to maintain peace, security and stability in the West Philippine Sea by exercising restraint, dissipating tensions and working on a mutually agreeable framework for functional cooperation.

China won't bully neighbours over South China Sea, says foreign minister

CHINA WILL not use its strength to bully its smaller neighbours including the Philippines, its foreign minister said on Monday, as he highlighted the importance of settling disputes in the South China Sea peacefully.