https://www.voanews.com/z/5028 South China Sea https://www.voanews.com/Content/responsive/VOA/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.voanews.com/z/5028 en 2026 - VOA 60 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:27:01 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA MANILA, PHILIPPINES — China should recognize that the Philippines is an independent and sovereign state whose actions and decisions are driven entirely by national interest and not at the direction of other countries, Manila's foreign ministry said on Monday. The Philippines' foreign ministry also said the "real issue is China's refusal to abide by international law" and how its "illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive behavior at sea" have affected Filipino communities. "We call on countries to be circumspect and to avoid actions and words that only contribute to tensions in the region," it said in a statement responding to comments from China that Manila was being directed by external forces. At a press conference on March 7, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said the Philippines' actions in the South China Sea were not independent but part of a "screenplay written by external forces," to smear China. The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the foreign ministry's statement. The Philippines has embarked on what it calls a transparency initiative to shed light on China's actions in the South China Sea, including embedding journalists on maritime patrols and resupply missions. Its approach has resonated with allies, including the United States, who support the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that found China's vast South China Sea claims had no legal basis. China rejects that finding. https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-says-acts-in-national-interest-in-south-china-sea/8004878.html https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-says-acts-in-national-interest-in-south-china-sea/8004878.html Mon, 10 Mar 2025 01:46:10 -0400 S. China SeaEast AsiaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Manila, Philippines — Japan and the Philippines agreed on Monday to further deepen defense ties in the face of an "increasingly severe" security environment in the Indo-Pacific region, Japanese defense minister Gen Nakatani said on Monday. Nakatani met his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro in Manila for a meeting in which the two ministers tackled regional security issues, including the maritime situation in the East and South China Seas. "The security environment surrounding us is becoming increasingly severe and that it is necessary for the two countries as strategic partners to further enhance defense cooperation and collaboration to maintain peace and stability in Indo-Pacific," Nakatani said through a translator. Nakatani said the Philippines and Japan have agreed to deepen cooperation on military exchanges, establish a high-level strategic dialogue among its military and deepen information sharing. Security ties between the two U.S. allies have strengthened over the past two years as Japan and the Philippines share common concerns over China's increasingly assertive actions in the region. Last year, Manila and Tokyo signed a landmark military pact allowing the deployment of their forces on each other's soil. Japan and China have repeatedly faced off around uninhabited Japanese-administered islands that Tokyo calls the Senkaku and Beijing calls the Diaoyu. The Philippines and China have also clashed frequently in the South China Sea around disputed shoals and atolls that fall inside Manila's exclusive economic zone. Nakatani visited military bases in the northern Philippines on Sunday, including a naval station that houses a coastal radar that Japan donated as part of its $4 million security assistance in 2023. Manila was one of the first recipients of Tokyo's official security assistance, a program aimed at helping boost deterrence capabilities of partner countries. In December, the two countries signed a second security deal in which Japan agreed to provide the Philippine navy rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIB) and additional coastal radar systems. https://www.voanews.com/a/philippine-japan-ministers-agree-to-further-enhance-defense-partnership/7985663.html https://www.voanews.com/a/philippine-japan-ministers-agree-to-further-enhance-defense-partnership/7985663.html Mon, 24 Feb 2025 01:34:10 -0500 East AsiaS. China SeaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Philippine defense officials say they will hold a large, 10-day military training exercise next month, aiming to strengthen the country’s ability to respond to any crisis caused by an “external threat.” Although Manila did not name China explicitly when it announced the drills — the biggest in recent years — they come as Beijing has increased the frequency of its maritime patrols and coast guard maneuvers around several disputed reefs that lie within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone, or EEZ. Several of those patrols have resulted in clashes and the use of aggressive maneuvers and accusations of vessel ramming. China, which claims almost all of the South China Sea as its own despite an international ruling to the contrary, insists that its actions have been in accordance with the law. The Combined Arms Training Exercise, or Catex, will take place March 3-12, involving approximately 6,000 soldiers and live-fire drills involving some of the Philippines’ most advanced artillery weapons. Expanded drills In the announcement on Monday, defense officials said that unlike past exercises, this year’s Catex will be conducted across the archipelago, including the northern island of Luzon, the island of Visayas in Central Philippines, and the southern island of Mindanao. The expanded drills will “strengthen our command-and-control capabilities, further enhancing our preparedness to respond to any challenge that may threaten our national security,” Philippine Army Chief Lieutenant General Roy Galido told media during a news conference on Monday. Typhon missile system While the Philippine military is expected to test the Autonomous Truck-Mounted Howitzer Systems, its largest artillery weapon, during the live-fire drills, Galido said the U.S.-made Typhon missile system, which has prompted concerns from China, won’t be part of the large-scale exercise. The Philippine military is still “appreciating the system and being able to understand how to utilize it in our defense concept,” he told Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post in an interview on Monday. The deployment of the Typhon missile system to the northern Philippines has prompted concerns from China. During a press conference Friday, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang urged Manila to “remove the [Typhon] system as soon as possible.” Analysts say the Philippines should focus on building up anti-ship missile capabilities and procuring more unmanned aerial vehicles rather than buying expensive items like submarines, which the Philippines is reportedly considering purchasing from India. “The anti-ship missiles can survive in a modern war with China, and it can really force the Chinese military planners to rethink their strategies,” Zachary Abuza, an expert on Southeast Asian affairs at the National War College in Washington, told VOA by phone. Other experts say the military drills and the ongoing efforts to acquire missile or air defense systems are part of the Philippines’ attempt to strengthen its sea capabilities and deterrence against China. “Given the Philippines’ limited materiel capabilities, these efforts are part of a long-term endeavor that will need continuity to ensure the Philippines will be able to muster the capabilities to pursue the objective of countering China’s maritime aggression,” Don McLain Gill, a lecturer in international studies at De La Salle University in the Philippines, told VOA in a recorded voice message. ‘Aggressive’ China action The announcement of the drills comes amid another uptick in tensions between China and the Philippines after a Chinese navy helicopter allegedly flew within 10 feet of a Philippine patrol plane near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Tuesday. The Philippine coast guard characterized the Chinese aircraft’s actions as “aggressive and escalatory” and said they remained “committed to asserting our sovereignty, sovereign rights and maritime jurisdiction” in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army — China's military — accused the Philippine aircraft of “illegally” intruding on the airspace above Scarborough Shoal, which China views as its territory, and said its troops “are resolute in defending national sovereignty and security as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea.” Weakest link? Experts say the latest incident reflects Beijing’s attempt to test the Philippines’ defense capabilities and the United States’ commitment to supporting Manila, which has a mutual defense treaty with Washington. “China sees the Philippines as the weakest link in the U.S. security architecture in the Indo-Pacific region, so they are testing how effective Manila can push back against its assertive behaviors,” Stephen Nagy, a professor of politics and international studies at International Christian University in Japan, told VOA by phone. He said while it’s important for the Philippines to strengthen defense cooperation with like-minded democracies, including conducting joint patrols and military exercises, Manila should also carefully calibrate its responses to Chinese aggression. The Philippines’ response should “reciprocate the pressure that the Chinese are putting on them because the Chinese strategic mindset is based on the idea of active defense, which means when they pressure their opponents to escalate the conflict, that gives them the right to escalate their behaviors,” Nagy said. New legal challenge possible In addition to strengthening defense capabilities, the Reuters news agency reported last month that the Philippines may soon initiate a second legal challenge against China over the South China Sea by suing Beijing for allegedly damaging the marine environment. Despite the report, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said in response to a question from VOA during a public event held by the London-based think tank Chatham House on Tuesday that Manila has no plan to launch a legal challenge against China right now. Joshua Espena, a lecturer of international relations at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, told VOA that since the Philippines is gearing up for the parliamentary election in May, Manila is unlikely to initiate a new legal challenge against China at this point. “The 2016 South China Sea Arbitration ruling gives the Philippines sufficient ground to do what the government needs to do,” he said. As the U.S. focuses on facilitating a peace deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, Nagy said, China will likely maintain its pressure campaign against the Philippines in the coming months. https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-to-hold-large-military-drills-as-china-tensions-simmer/7980497.html https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-to-hold-large-military-drills-as-china-tensions-simmer/7980497.html Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:03:56 -0500 S. China SeaEast AsiaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (William Yang) BEIJING — China opposes Vietnam's construction activities on a disputed islet in the South China Sea known as the Barque Canada Reef, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Occupied by Vietnam since the 1980s, the reef in the Spratly Islands is claimed by several countries, in a dispute that has intensified as China and the United States vie for influence in the strategic Southeast Asian nation. The reef is "part of China's territory," ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular news conference, adding that China had always opposed "illegal occupation" of islands and reefs. Vietnam's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China claims almost the entire South China Sea despite overlapping claims in the busy waterway by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Vietnam's land reclamation had expanded the reef by 10 times since 2022, according to a study by Guangdong Ocean University and China's natural resources ministry, and which is being reviewed for publication in the Journal of Tropical Oceanography. The study added that Vietnam had dredged a channel 299 meters in width at the reef, sufficient to berth large vessels, such as warships. Last year, China rebuffed Vietnam's claims of sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly island chains, saying its own claims to the two were backed by history. Vietnam has previously cited "full legal basis and ample historical evidence" for its claims to the reef. The neighbors, who have close economic ties, agreed to step up cooperation on security matters in a move towards building a community with a "shared future" during a trip to Hanoi last December by Chinese President Xi Jinping. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled that China's South China Sea claims were not supported by international law, a decision Beijing rejects. "China will strive for an early conclusion of the code of conduct in the South China Sea and jointly safeguard peace and stability" in the region, Guo said in response to a query about disputes in the South China Sea. He was referring to a framework the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) grouping is striving to finalize. https://www.voanews.com/a/china-opposes-vietnam-s-building-work-on-disputed-reef-in-south-china-sea-/7980305.html https://www.voanews.com/a/china-opposes-vietnam-s-building-work-on-disputed-reef-in-south-china-sea-/7980305.html Wed, 19 Feb 2025 06:54:58 -0500 East AsiaS. China SeaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) MANILA, Philippines — The United States condemned the "dangerous" maneuvers of a Chinese navy helicopter that endangered the safety of a Philippine government aircraft patrolling a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, its ambassador to Manila said on Wednesday. In a post on X, Ambassador MaryKay Carlson also called on China "to refrain from coercive actions and settle its disputes peacefully in accordance with international law." The Philippines said late on Tuesday it was "deeply disturbed" by the Chinese navy's "unprofessional and reckless" flight actions and that it will make a diplomatic protest. Manila's coast guard said the Chinese navy helicopter performed dangerous flight maneuvers when it flew close to a government aircraft conducting surveillance over the Scarborough Shoal, endangering the lives of its pilots and passengers. China disputed the Philippines' account, saying on Tuesday its aircraft "illegally intruded" into China's airspace and accused its Southeast Asian neighbor of "spreading false narratives." Named after a British ship that was grounded on the atoll nearly three centuries ago, the Scarborough Shoal is one of the most contested maritime features in the South China Sea, where Beijing and Manila have clashed repeatedly. "The Philippines has undeniable sovereignty and jurisdiction over Bajo de Masinloc," its maritime council said in a statement, using Manila's name for the shoal. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a vital waterway for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, putting it at odds with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. A 2016 arbitration ruling invalidated China's expansive claims but Beijing does not recognize the decision. https://www.voanews.com/a/us-condemns-dangerous-maneuvers-by-chinese-navy-in-south-china-sea/7980179.html https://www.voanews.com/a/us-condemns-dangerous-maneuvers-by-chinese-navy-in-south-china-sea/7980179.html Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:08:50 -0500 S. China SeaUSAEast AsiaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) TAIPEI, TAIWAN — The Philippines is increasing efforts to strengthen defense cooperation with several like-minded democracies amid ongoing tensions with China in the disputed South China Sea.  Manila is trying to conclude major defense pacts with Canada and New Zealand and explore possibilities of expanding joint military drills with the United States, its main defense partner. Analysts say the development is part of Manila’s effort to counter China’s aggressive maritime activities near several disputed reefs in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost the entirety as its territory.   “The Philippines is trying to boost their capabilities to sufficiently deter China by putting a lot of emphasis on the Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States while broadening the net of cooperation to other like-minded democracies,” said Collin Koh, a maritime security expert at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.   Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. described the defense pacts with Canada and New Zealand as part of Manila’s efforts to “build and strengthen” alliances with like-minded countries.   “The status of visiting forces agreement with New Zealand is an important part of … both countries’ and multilateral countries’ initiatives to resist China’s unilateral narrative to change international law,” he told journalists on the sideline of an event on Feb. 6.   Meanwhile, the Canadian ambassador to the Philippines, David Hartman, said at a press event on Feb. 7 that the visiting forces agreement would enable Canada to “have even more substantive participation in joint and multilateral training exercises and operations with the Philippines and allies” in the Indo-Pacific region.   Some Philippine analysts describe the signing of the agreements as part of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s efforts to “reset” the country’s long-term strategic interests.  As China continues to challenge different countries’ territorial claims across the Pacific region, “the Philippines’ efforts to consolidate more agreements with allies fits Manila’s need to defend its maritime territories and safeguard the freedom of navigation in the region,” Joshua Espena, a resident fellow at the Philippine-based International Development and Security Cooperation, told VOA by phone.   Since about one-third of global trade passes through the South China Sea, Koh in Singapore said other democratic countries view signing defense agreements with the Philippines as a way to safeguard their strategic and economic interests in the Indo-Pacific region. While the Philippines’ efforts to strengthen defense cooperation with other democracies may not fundamentally change China’s behaviors in the South China Sea, “it is still a concern for China when you have so many partners being militarily involved with Manila,” Koh told VOA by phone.   Apart from negotiating defense pacts with Canada and New Zealand, the Philippines is also looking to expand joint military exercises with the United States.   During a call on Tuesday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown talked about the “military modernization initiatives, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites and increasing the scope and capacity of joint exercises in the Philippines,” according to U.S. Joint Staff Spokesperson Navy Capt. Jereal Dorsey.  In addition to the discussions, the Philippines has conducted a series of joint drills with the U.S. and Canada since last week, a development that China said undermines “peace and stability in the South China Sea.” While countries around the world are bracing for uncertainties extending from the foreign policy of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, some experts say recent developments suggest the U.S. may continue to uphold its defense partnership with the Philippines.   “The people [that] the Trump administration has put into key security roles are mostly China hawks, so they see the China threat as being very real, and the Philippines remains on the front line [of that threat,]” said Raymond Powell, director of Stanford University’s Sealight project, which tracks Chinese maritime activities across the Indo-Pacific region.   He said the Philippines may “stand to gain” from the Trump administration’s foreign policy direction. Manila “may have one of the strongest arguments” to convince the U.S. to shift resources to the Indo-Pacific region because “they are on the front line,” Powell told VOA by phone.    As the U.S. and the Philippines continue to uphold their defense cooperation, China has described the partnership as “extremely dangerous.”  “China will not sit idly by when its security interests are harmed or threatened,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during a regular press conference on Wednesday. To counter the Chinese coast guard’s aggressive operations in the South China Sea, Brawner Jr. said Wednesday that the Philippines hoped to buy two more submarines and BrahMos missiles in India. The Reuters news agency reported that New Delhi is expected to sign a $200 million missile deal with Manila in 2025.  Powell said the additional missiles could strengthen the Philippines’ deterrence against China, while Manila may need to put a lot of effort into familiarizing its military forces with the submarines.    Despite Philippine President Marcos Jr.’s recent attempt to “offer a deal” to reduce tension in the South China Sea, Powell said Beijing’s aggressive posture will make it hard for the proposal to materialize. “We're seeing much heavier [Chinese] Coast Guard and militia activity around Scarborough Shoal, and I don’t see a lessening of tension there,” he said, adding that tensions between Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea will likely “plateau” in the near future. https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-increases-defense-efforts-amid-ongoing-tension-with-china-/7975137.html https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-increases-defense-efforts-amid-ongoing-tension-with-china-/7975137.html Fri, 14 Feb 2025 10:49:26 -0500 S. China SeaEast Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (William Yang) The air forces of the Philippines and the United States held joint patrols over the South China Sea on Tuesday, a move that angered China, which also conducted a "routine patrol" over a disputed shoal. The Philippines and the United States have ramped up security arrangements under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against a backdrop of rising tension between Manila and Beijing stemming from overlapping claims in the busy waterway. The one-day exercise by the treaty allies took place in the West Philippine Sea, Philippine air force spokesperson Maria Consuelo Castillo said, using Manila's term for waters in the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone. "The exercise aimed to enhance operational coordination, improve air domain awareness, and reinforce agile combat employment capabilities between the two air forces," Castillo said in a statement. Castillo said three Philippine FA-50 fighter aircraft and two U.S. B1-B bombers participated in the exercise, which included flying over Scarborough Shoal, where the Chinese air force also carried out what it called a routine patrol. In a statement on Tuesday, China's military accused the Philippines of joining patrols it said were organized by foreign countries to "undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea." China's air force units would maintain a "high degree of alert, resolutely defend China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and control any military activities that disrupt the South China Sea," the Southern Theatre Command added. China claims almost all the strategic waterway, a conduit for $3 trillion in annual commerce, despite overlapping claims by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. At a briefing on Tuesday, the Philippine navy said it was "closely monitoring" three Chinese navy vessels within Manila's maritime zones, including a Jiangkai-class guided missile frigate. "The presence of People's Liberation Army-Navy reflects the People's Republic of China's complete disregard for international law and undermines the peace and stability in the region," said navy spokesperson John Percie Alcos. On Monday, state news agency Xinhua said the passage of the Chinese fleet was consistent with international law, quoting a spokesperson of the PLA's Southern Theater Command. An international arbitration tribunal ruled in 2016 that China's claims, based on its historic maps, have no basis under international law, but Beijing does not recognize the decision. https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-u-s-hold-joint-air-patrol-over-south-china-sea-angering-china/7962117.html https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-u-s-hold-joint-air-patrol-over-south-china-sea-angering-china/7962117.html Tue, 04 Feb 2025 04:11:58 -0500 S. China SeaEast AsiaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Manila, Philippines — Japan is gravely concerned about actions in the South China Sea that are raising tensions, and strongly opposes any unilateral attempt to change the status quo, its foreign minister said on Wednesday. Speaking during a visit to the Philippines, Takeshi Iwaya also said Japan would continue to provide development and security assistance to Manila and support for its maritime security, adding that a trilateral mechanism which also includes the United States would be strengthened when a new administration takes over in Washington. Iwaya's visit follows a virtual call between Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden where the three leaders affirmed their "trilateral arrangement" in deepening economic, security and technology cooperation in the face of growing tensions in the region. The transition to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's administration on Jan. 20 leaves Marcos as the only original leader out of those who established the trilateral initiative in 2024. Under Marcos, security engagements between the Philippines and Japan, two of the closest Asian allies of the U.S., have significantly deepened as both nations address shared maritime concerns over China's increasingly assertive actions in the region. "Japan strongly opposes any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force or build up tension in the region. We strongly ask for easing of tensions," Iwaya told a joint press conference with his Philippine counterpart in Manila, without mentioning China. China claims much of the South China Sea, a conduit for the bulk of northeast Asia's trade with the rest of the world. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on the waterway. The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comments on Iwaya's remarks. Japan, which announced in 2023 its biggest military build-up since World War II in a step away from post-war pacifism, does not have any claims to the busy waterway. But it has a separate maritime dispute with China in the East China Sea, where the neighbors have repeatedly faced off. Last year, Japan signed a landmark military pact with the Philippines allowing deployment of forces on each other's soil. Manila also became one of the first recipients of Tokyo's official security assistance, a program aimed at helping boost deterrence capabilities of its partner countries. The Philippines has been embroiled in wrangles at sea with China in the past two years as the two countries face off regularly around disputed features in the South China Sea that fall inside Manila's exclusive economic zone. Both countries have accused each other of encroachment, while the Philippines has condemned Beijing over the presence and conduct of its coast guard fleet. "I am gravely concerned that actions heightening tension in the South China Sea are repeated. Issue over South China Sea is a legitimate concern for the international community," Iwaya said. Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo said his country's relationship with Tokyo was among the most resilient and dynamic in the region. The two ministers discussed the security situation in the East and South China Seas and their work together amid an evolving geopolitical landscape, he said, adding the two remain committed to a regional rules-based order. https://www.voanews.com/a/japan-gravely-concerned-about-maritime-tensions-escalating-foreign-minister-says/7937428.html https://www.voanews.com/a/japan-gravely-concerned-about-maritime-tensions-escalating-foreign-minister-says/7937428.html Wed, 15 Jan 2025 04:17:34 -0500 S. China SeaEast AsiaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Manila, Philippines — The Philippines on Monday called on Beijing to desist from "escalatory actions" at a South China Sea shoal and said a protest has been lodged over the presence of Chinese coast guard, militia and navy in its exclusive economic zone. The protest stems from the presence of two coast guard vessels on Jan. 5 and Jan. 10 in and around the disputed Scarborough shoal, one of which was a 165-meter-long boat referred to by the Philippines as "the monster." It said a Chinese navy helicopter was also deployed in the area. "The escalatory actions of these Chinese vessels and aircraft disregard Philippine and international laws," said the Philippines' national maritime council, an inter-agency group tasked with upholding the country's interests at sea. "China should direct its vessels to desist from conducting illegal actions that violate Philippines' sovereign rights in its EEZ," it said in a statement. China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China says the Scarborough Shoal is its territory and has accused the Philippines of trespassing. Tensions between China and the U.S. ally the Philippines have escalated the past two years, with frequent run-ins between their coast guards in the South China Sea, which China claims sovereignty over almost in its entirety. The statement came just hours after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had a virtual call with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba where the three leaders discussed China's conduct in the South China Sea. China's expansive claims overlap with the EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The disputed waterway is a strategic shipping route through which about $3 trillion worth of commerce moves annually. A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal said Beijing's claims, based on its historic maps, have no basis under international law, a decision China does not recognize. https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-files-protest-over-beijing-s-escalatory-actions-in-south-china-sea/7934590.html https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-files-protest-over-beijing-s-escalatory-actions-in-south-china-sea/7934590.html Mon, 13 Jan 2025 02:44:04 -0500 S. China SeaEast AsiaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Manila, Philippines — The Philippines has deployed air and sea assets of its military and coast guard in its exclusive economic zone to monitor China's largest coast guard vessel, calling the ship's presence an act of Chinese "intimidation, coercion and aggression." According to the Philippine coast guard, the 165 m long vessel 5901, referred to by the Philippines as "the monster," was on Sunday 65 to 70 nautical miles off the coast of the province of Zambales. "We have all our assets pointed at this monster ship. The moment it (carries out) any provocative action, it will be met with appropriate response," Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for the National Security Council, told state television on Monday. China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ties between China and U.S. ally the Philippines have soured in the past few years, with spats frequent as Manila, under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, pushes back at what it sees as aggression by Beijing. China has accused the Philippines of repeated encroachment in its waters. China claims most of the South China Sea, a key conduit for $3 trillion of annual ship-borne trade, as its own territory, with a massive coast guard presence in and around the EEZs of neighbors Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. Beijing rejects a 2016 ruling by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that said those expansive maritime claims had no legal basis. According to video shared by the Philippine coast guard, it ordered the Chinese vessel to leave the area, warning it has no authority to operate there. In its radioed response, the Chinese ship said it was conducting law enforcement duties within its jurisdictional waters. "This is part of China's intimidation, coercion, aggression and deception. They are showcasing their ship to intimidate our fishermen," Malaya said, adding the Philippine maritime presence would be boosted to support fishermen. https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-deploys-maritime-and-air-assets-to-monitor-china-s-monster-ship-/7925622.html https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-deploys-maritime-and-air-assets-to-monitor-china-s-monster-ship-/7925622.html Mon, 06 Jan 2025 05:23:27 -0500 S. China SeaEast AsiaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) HANOI, VIETNAM — U.S. weapons manufacturers could work with Vietnamese counterparts to help build Vietnam's armed forces, the U.S. ambassador to the southeast Asian country said on Thursday. "Our goal is to ensure that Vietnam has what it needs to defend its interests at sea, in the air, on the ground and in cyberspace," U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper said at an international arms expo in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. The expo, held at the Gia Lam airport, brought together 250 exhibitors, including geopolitical rivals such as the United States, China, Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Iran. U.S. exhibitors included Boeing and Textron Aviation. China was present with Norinco and Gaodu International Trade. Iran's defense ministry pavilion wasn't far from booths set up by Israeli companies Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. Several Russian firms also attended, along with Ukraine's Motor Sich. Vietnam has been trying to increase its domestic arms manufacturing while reducing its reliance on Russia for weapon imports. In 2022, Russia made up around 60% of all of Vietnam's military purchases, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. But Vietnam's longstanding efforts to diversify its imports have been accelerated by the war in Ukraine. It has also been trying to boost its own capacity to make arms and displayed military equipment it made at the expo. A key driver for Vietnam is the escalating tensions in the South China Sea, a key trade and security route. It is a flashpoint in Asia and a fault line in the U.S.-China regional rivalry. Vietnam has been critical of China's increasingly hostile actions in the disputed waters. Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries have overlapping claims in the busy sea passage. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hailed the event as a "message of peace, cooperation and development." He was later given a tour of a military plane made by U.S. firm Lockheed Martin. https://www.voanews.com/a/us-ambassador-us-arms-manufacturers-could-help-boost-vietnam-s-capabilities/7907234.html https://www.voanews.com/a/us-ambassador-us-arms-manufacturers-could-help-boost-vietnam-s-capabilities/7907234.html Thu, 19 Dec 2024 12:07:42 -0500 East AsiaUSAS. China SeaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Defense officials in Taiwan say China has deployed nearly 90 naval and coast guard vessels in waters stretching from islands in the south of Japan to the South China Sea. The deployment is the largest to regional waters in almost three decades, Taiwanese officials say, and part of what appears to be a military exercise. China has not yet commented on the movements or confirmed it is conducting exercises. Speaking at a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Taiwanese defense officials said Beijing’s operation is not only targeting Taipei but aimed at demonstrating its ability to prevent regional countries, including Japan and the Philippines, from coming to the island’s defense. “The current scale is the largest compared to the previous four [Chinese war games],” Taiwanese Defense Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang told journalists at the press conference. China claims democratically ruled Taiwan is part of its territory and has not ruled out the possibility of using force to achieve its goal of reunification. There is little to no support for unification with authoritarian China in Taiwan. Sun said the exercises were the largest since war games were held around the island in response to its first presidential elections in 1996. In recent days, Taiwan’s defense ministry said it has detected 21 Chinese vessels and 47 Chinese military aircraft operating in the immediate vicinity of the island. Hsieh Jih-sheng, a senior intelligence officer at Taiwan’s defense ministry, told journalists at the same press conference that China’s broader maritime deployment is aimed at blocking forces from Japan and the Philippines from coming to Taiwan’s aid in a potential Chinese military attack against the island. In addition to honing its capabilities to deny access to a broad swath around the island, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said China is also forming two “walls” in the western Pacific, deploying large numbers of vessels to the eastern end of Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone and an area further out in the Pacific. Air defense identification zones are unilaterally established by a country’s air defense forces and are not underpinned by international treaty or law. “With these two walls, they are sending a clear message: The Taiwan Strait is their internal waters, and cross-strait issues should be handled by the People's Liberation Army [PLA] and the People's Republic of China,” Taiwanese defense official Hsieh told journalists. Taiwan has been preparing for a potential Chinese military exercise around the island since President Lai Ching-te set off on his first overseas trip to the Pacific region, which included stopovers in the U.S. territory of Guam and state of Hawaii, on November 30. Throughout the trip, Taipei repeatedly warned about China potentially launching a new round of military drills near the island and urged Beijing not to “send the wrong signals.” When asked about the movements of Chinese vessels on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning did not provide additional details. “The Taiwan question is China’s internal affair. China will firmly defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she said during the regular press conference. One Chinese analyst, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, told VOA that it is hard to say why Beijing hasn’t publicly announced any maritime operations around Taiwan. J. Michael Cole, a Taipei-based senior fellow with the Global Taiwan Institute, said Beijing may want to “keep the Taiwanese side guessing” by not announcing its planned military operations. “Telegraphing one’s intentions only goes so far. Beijing may want to be more flexible and less predictable than it has been in the past,” he told VOA in written response. Stephen Nagy, a professor of politics and international studies at Tokyo’s International Christian University, said maintaining ambiguity makes it difficult for Taiwan and regional countries to respond to Chinese military operations in the region. “Ambiguity creates challenges for Taiwan and neighboring stakeholders, such as Japan, the United States and the Philippines, to know what the Chinese are doing and what’s the best way to respond,” he told VOA in a phone interview. Despite the lack of clarity from Beijing, Cole in Taipei said the Taiwanese government’s efforts to “proactively” disclose Chinese military activities in the region help to bring more international attention to the threats and pressure that democratically ruled Taiwan faces from China. “Such public diplomacy makes the threat more palpable and turns an abstract concept into something that is real and that people can relate to,” he told VOA. On Monday, Taiwan launched a series of war-preparedness drills at strategic locations across the island and publicized information about the unannounced Chinese military operations. Those moves, Taiwanese experts say, have helped Taipei create an intelligence deterrence against Beijing. “By swiftly disclosing Chinese military operations in the region and initiating its own countermeasures, Taiwan is trying to deter China from further escalating its military activities around the island,” Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told VOA by phone. While Taiwan has adopted some countermeasures, some analysts say Beijing is also “routinizing” its coercion against Taipei by maintaining a constant military presence across the region. “The People’s Liberation [Army] and Chinese coast guard are so big that they can maintain a constant presence near Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan at the same time,” said Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore and a former Pentagon official. “Military operators may have a difficult time discerning when an attack is actually coming when every day looks like an attack,” he told VOA by phone. Nagy in Japan said as the United States prepares for a change in administrations over the next few weeks, he expects China to ramp up pressure against Taiwan. https://www.voanews.com/a/taiwan-says-china-has-launched-biggest-maritime-operation-in-decades/7896051.html https://www.voanews.com/a/taiwan-says-china-has-launched-biggest-maritime-operation-in-decades/7896051.html Tue, 10 Dec 2024 11:34:30 -0500 East AsiaS. China SeaChina NewsTaiwanwebdesk@voanews.com (William Yang) BEIJING/MANILA — The coast guards of China and the Philippines gave conflicting versions on Wednesday of a maritime confrontation around a contested shoal in the South China Sea, the latest row in a longstanding dispute between the neighbors. The incident follows a diplomatic spat in November after China drew baseline "territorial waters" around the prime fishing patch of the Scarborough Shoal, and submitted nautical charts this week to the United Nations setting out its claim. China's Coast Guard said four Philippine ships had attempted to enter its territorial waters around the Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing claims as Huangyan Island. Philippine ships had "dangerously approached" the coast guard's "normal law enforcement patrol vessels," prompting them to "exercise control" over their counterparts, Liu Dejun, a coast guard spokesperson, said in a statement. In a further statement, Liu added that one of the Philippine ships "ignored" repeated warnings, with actions that "seriously threatened" the safety of a Chinese coast guard vessel. "We warn the Philippines to immediately stop infringement, provocation and propaganda, otherwise it will be responsible for all consequences." But the Philippine coast guard said Chinese navy and coast guard vessels had taken "aggressive actions" against a routine patrol by it and the fisheries bureau. A Chinese coast guard vessel fired a water cannon and sideswiped a Philippine coast guard vessel, while Philippine vessels faced "blocking, shadowing, and dangerous maneuvers" from Chinese navy and coast guard ships, a Philippine coast guard spokesperson said. Manila and Beijing have sparred at sea this past year, as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, which has angered neighboring countries that dispute some boundaries they say cut into their exclusive economic zones. On Monday, China submitted to the United Nations nautical charts showing its territorial claims to the waters around the Scarborough Shoal. The submission was "a legitimate activity to defend (China's) territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," as a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), it said in a statement. Jonathan Malaya, a spokesperson for the Philippine National Security Council, said, "It looks like a reinforcement of (China's) baseless claim over Bajo de Masinloc following their submission of their alleged baselines." He was using the Philippine name for the shoal. The Philippines and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have spent years negotiating a code of conduct with Beijing for the strategic waterway, with some nations in the bloc insisting that it be based on UNLCOS. China says it backs a code, but does not recognize a 2016 arbitral ruling that its claim to most of the South China Sea had no basis under UNCLOS. https://www.voanews.com/a/philippine-coast-guard-says-chinese-actions-aggressive-near-scarborough-shoal/7886555.html https://www.voanews.com/a/philippine-coast-guard-says-chinese-actions-aggressive-near-scarborough-shoal/7886555.html Tue, 03 Dec 2024 22:37:11 -0500 S. China SeaEast AsiaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Manila, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday the presence of a Russian attack submarine in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea was "very worrisome." "That’s very concerning. Any intrusion into the West Philippine Sea, of our EEZ, of our baselines, is very worrisome," Marcos told reporters, referring to part of the South China Sea within the Philippines' maritime zone. A Russian Kilo-class submarine was sighted 80 nautical miles off the western province of Occidental Mindoro on Nov. 28, Navy spokesperson Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a statement on Monday, confirming a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper. Philippine navy frigate Jose Rizal established radio contact with the Russian submarine, which confirmed its identity as UFA 490 and its intent. "The Russian vessel stated it was awaiting improved weather conditions before proceeding to Vladivostok, Russia," Trinidad said, without elaborating on why it was in the area. Philippine naval forces escorted the submarine to ensure compliance with maritime regulations, he added. Russia's embassy in Manila could not immediately be reached for comment. Russia's Kilo-class submarines are considered some of the quietest submarines and have been constantly refined since the 1980s. China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing in 2022, just days before Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine. The two countries carried out live-fire naval exercises in the South China Sea in July. Tensions between Manila, a U.S. treaty ally, and Beijing have escalated over the past year due to overlapping claims in the South China Sea. A 2016 arbitral tribunal ruled China's historical claims to the disputed waterway had no basis, a decision Beijing rejects. https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-marcos-says-presence-of-russian-submarine-very-worrisome-/7883723.html https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-marcos-says-presence-of-russian-submarine-very-worrisome-/7883723.html Mon, 02 Dec 2024 02:18:18 -0500 S. China SeaEast Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) VIENTIANE, LAOS — Southeast Asian defense chiefs met Thursday with their counterparts from China, the United States and other nations in Laos for security talks, which come as Beijing's increasingly assertive stance in its claim to most of the South China Sea is leading to more confrontations. The closed-door talks put U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in the same room, a day after Dong refused a request to meet with Austin one-on-one on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit of defense ministers. The U.S. and China have been working to improve frayed military-to-military communications, and Austin said he regretted Dong's decision, calling it "a setback for the whole region." A Chinese statement indicated that Beijing was unhappy with U.S. actions related to Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims. The U.S. recently approved $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including an advanced surface-to-air missile defense system. "The U.S. side cannot undermine China's core interests on the Taiwan issue while conducting exchanges with the Chinese military as if nothing had happened," Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said in a statement posted online Thursday. The ASEAN meetings come as member nations are looking warily toward the change in American administrations at a time of increasing maritime disputes with China. The U.S. has firmly pushed a "free and open Indo-Pacific" policy under outgoing President Joe Biden, and it is not yet clear how the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump will address the South China Sea situation. Dong called for resolving issues through dialogue and not provoking disputes or introducing external forces, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported. South China Sea Beijing believes that U.S. backing has emboldened the Philippines to act more assertively in its South China Sea disputes with China. Other nations attending the ASEAN meeting from outside Southeast Asia include Japan, South Korea, India, Russia, Australia and New Zealand. The meetings with the ASEAN dialogue partners were also expected to address tensions in the Korean Peninsula, the Russia-Ukraine war and wars in the Middle East. Before heading to Laos, Austin concluded meetings in Australia with officials there and with Japan's defense minister. They pledged to support ASEAN and expressed their "serious concern about destabilizing actions in the East and South China Seas, including dangerous conduct by the People's Republic of China against Philippines and other coastal state vessels." Along with the Philippines, ASEAN members Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have competing claims with China in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely as its own territory. Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos are the other members of ASEAN, which stands for Association of Southeast Asian Nations. As China has grown more assertive in pushing its territorial claims in recent years, it and ASEAN have been negotiating a code of conduct to govern behavior in the sea. Progress has been slow. Officials have agreed to try to complete the code by 2026, but talks have been hampered by thorny issues, including disagreements over whether the pact should be binding. Chinese and Philippine vessels have clashed repeatedly this year, and Vietnam in October charged that Chinese forces assaulted its fishermen in disputed areas in the South China Sea. China has also sent patrol vessels to areas that Indonesia and Malaysia claim as their exclusive economic zones. Myanmar crisis Another thorny regional issue is the civil war and humanitarian crisis in ASEAN member Myanmar. The group's credibility has been severely tested by the war in Myanmar, where the army ousted an elected government in 2021 and fighting has continued with pro-democracy guerillas and ethnic rebels. More than a year into an offensive initiated by three militias and joined by other resistance groups, observers estimate the military controls less than half the country. Myanmar military rulers have been barred from ASEAN meetings since late 2021, but this year the country has been represented by high-level bureaucrats, including at the summit in October. At the defense meetings, the country is represented by Zaw Naing Win, director of the Defense Ministry's International Affairs Department. https://www.voanews.com/a/southeast-asian-defense-chiefs-talk-regional-security-with-us-china-others/7872007.html https://www.voanews.com/a/southeast-asian-defense-chiefs-talk-regional-security-with-us-china-others/7872007.html Thu, 21 Nov 2024 09:46:43 -0500 East AsiaUSAS. China SeaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin this week visited the Philippines, where he met with its president and his defense counterpart to highlight the expansion and modernization of two countries’ alliance in just a few short years. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has more. https://www.voanews.com/a/defense-secretary-austin-us-philippine-alliance-will-transcend-us-presidential-administrations/7870266.html https://www.voanews.com/a/defense-secretary-austin-us-philippine-alliance-will-transcend-us-presidential-administrations/7870266.html Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:55:07 -0500 East AsiaUSAS. China Seawebdesk@voanews.com (Carla Babb) Manila, Philippines — The Philippines and the United States signed on Monday a military intelligence-sharing deal in a further deepening of defense ties between the two nations facing common security challenges in the region. Visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin signed the agreement with his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, at Manila's military headquarters where both officials also broke ground for a combined coordination center that will facilitate collaboration between their armed forces. Called the General Security of Military Information Agreement or GSOMIA, the pact allows both countries to share classified military information securely. "Not only will this allow the Philippines access to higher capabilities and big-ticket items from the United States, it will also open opportunities to pursue similar agreements with like-minded nations," said Philippines' defense ministry spokesperson Arsenio Andolong. Security engagements between the United States and the Philippines have deepened under President Joe Biden and his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with both leaders keen to counter what they see as China's aggressive policies in the South China Sea and near Taiwan. The two countries have a mutual defense treaty dating back to 1951, which could be invoked if either side came under attack, including in the South China Sea. "I want to start by underscoring our ironclad commitment to the Philippines," Austin said during the groundbreaking ceremony for the coordination center. Austin said the coordination center should enable real-time information sharing between the two defense treaty allies and boost interoperability. ‘’It will be a place where our forces can work side by side to respond to regional challenges," Austin said. The Philippines has expressed confidence the alliance will remain strong under incoming U.S. president-elect Donald Trump. Both the Philippines and the United States face increasingly aggressive actions from China in the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship-borne commerce, which it claims almost entirely as its own. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague said China's claims had no legal basis, siding with the Philippines, which brought the case. But China has rejected the ruling, leading to a series of sea and air confrontations with the Philippines that have turned the highly strategic South China Sea into a potential flashpoint between Washington and Beijing. "The United States' presence in the Indo Pacific region is essential for maintaining peace and stability in this region," Teodoro said during the inauguration, echoing previous remarks made by Marcos. https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-united-states-sign-military-intelligence-sharing-deal/7867513.html https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-united-states-sign-military-intelligence-sharing-deal/7867513.html Mon, 18 Nov 2024 04:08:17 -0500 East AsiaUSAS. China SeaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) LIMA, PERU — U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated the importance of maintaining dialogue to manage the U.S.-China rivalry, at a summit Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, or APEC, in Lima, Peru. The U.S.-China relationship is the "most important" in the world, Biden said, stressing both leaders’ responsibility not to allow competition to veer into conflict. "These conversations prevent miscalculations," Biden said of their meetings. "Over the last four years, I think we've proven it's possible to have this relationship," he said. Xi expressed similar sentiments, saying both countries "should bear in mind the interest of the whole world and inject more certainty and positive energy into the turbulent world." The White House highlighted ongoing areas of cooperation, including counternarcotics, as well as new areas of agreement on artificial intelligence, including the need to maintain human control over the decision to use nuclear weapons. "We are now building a foundation for being able to work on nuclear risk reduction," national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters after the bilateral meeting. The positive expressions belie new irritants as well as long-standing issues between the two countries. Biden warned China over its alleged role in hacking private telecommunications providers used by U.S. government and presidential campaign officials, Sullivan said without providing details of the consequences laid out by Biden. Biden raised the issue of Beijing’s increased military activities around Taiwan and the South China Sea, its support for Moscow's war against Ukraine and the deployment of North Korean troops to aid Russia – which, according to Biden, is a "deeply dangerous development" for Europe and the Korean peninsula, Sullivan said. Biden has called Xi a "dictator" in the past, while Xi has accused the U.S. of being the "biggest source of chaos" in the world. Both leaders, though, have emphasized the importance of stability, and in the past four years they largely have succeeded in managing the complicated rivalry. In their summit last year, Biden and Xi agreed to restart military-to-military communications, in part to manage potential tensions surrounding Taiwan and the South China Sea. Multilateralism and free trade Sullivan said Biden reiterated concern over Beijing’s "unfair nonmarket economic practices that are harming American workers and businesses." However, just hours before his meeting, Xi presented himself as a defender of "multilateralism and an open economy," to APEC leaders. In a speech, he urged leaders to "tear down the walls impeding the flow of trade, investment, technology and services." Foreign diplomatic sources who spoke under the condition of anonymity told VOA they are concerned that the U.S. will become more protectionist and isolationist under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated in January. Under his first term as president, Trump withdrew from various multilateral agreements including the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact and the Paris Climate Accord. He imposed punitive tariffs on China, largely kept in place by the Biden administration, and ramped up trade pressure with other U.S. trading partners including Europe and Japan. During his 2024 campaign, Trump vowed to place tariffs of up to 60% on all Chinese imports, and 10% to 20% on goods from the rest of the world. In response to VOA’s question Sullivan would not speculate on the policies of the incoming administration. He said Biden raised U.S. concerns over Chinese over capacity and the distortion it could wreak on the global economy. "The world will be able to judge for itself both the PRC [People’s Republic of China]’s approach to trade and the U.S.’ approach to over time," he said, adding that countries have begun to take "countermeasures against what they perceive to be PRC overcapacity in critical sectors." At APEC, Xi championed a "new impetus" toward an "open Asia-Pacific economy" and supported the group’s efforts to move faster toward achieving the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, a proposed regional free trade agreement between the 21 APEC member economies. China is a member of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the largest regional free trade agreement involving 15 countries in Asia and the Pacific. The U.S. is not a member of RCEP. In 2021, Beijing applied for membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The regional free trade pact initially begun as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, promoted in 2015 by then-U.S. President Barack Obama. Trump withdrew the U.S. from TPP in 2017. Following Washington's departure, the TPP eventually became CPTPP – an 11-country bloc that now constitutes one of the largest free trade areas in the world. The Biden administration in 2022 launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which includes a dozen Indo-Pacific countries. There are no market access or tariff reduction provisions in the framework — trade incentives desired by countries in the region. IPEF is unlikely to continue in its current form under Trump, said Zack Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. "But the reality is that many countries in the region have been pretty disappointed by IPEF and so if they see it either go away or change, I don't think they'll be panicked about that possibility," he told VOA. Xi began his South American tour by inaugurating a mega port in Peru, a $1.3 billion investment by Beijing as it seeks to expand trade and influence on the continent. Sullivan pushed back against the narrative that Beijing has overtaken Washington as the world’s main backer of development and infrastructure financing. "Every time we fly to South America or Africa, the press writes the story: ‘China is doing a lot; America is doing a little,’" he said in response to VOA’s question aboard Air Force One en route to Lima. "And then you look at the numbers behind it — the total stock of American investment in Latin America and the Caribbean — and you compare that to what China is doing. We are, across our private sector and now backed up by tools like the Development Finance Corporation, investing in a wide range of technology, infrastructure, energy, health, and other projects and are an incredibly important player," he said, noting that the U.S. is investing heavily in Peru, $6.6 billion last year. From Lima, Biden heads to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro Sunday, with a brief stop in the Brazilian Amazon to deliver remarks on climate change.   https://www.voanews.com/a/ahead-of-his-meeting-with-biden-xi-champions-free-trade-and-multilateralism/7866484.html https://www.voanews.com/a/ahead-of-his-meeting-with-biden-xi-champions-free-trade-and-multilateralism/7866484.html Sat, 16 Nov 2024 18:09:42 -0500 East AsiaUSAS. China SeaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Patsy Widakuswara) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia will send a protest note to the Philippines over its new maritime laws due to their overlapping claims in the South China Sea, its deputy foreign minister said on Thursday. The protest will follow a complaint also from China over the Philippines' Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, which Manila said was intended to strengthen its maritime claims and bolster its territorial integrity. Malaysia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mohamad Alamin said the government has reviewed the reference documents related to the Philippines' laws and found that they touch upon claims to the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island. "We will send a protest note today to demonstrate our commitment to defending Sabah's sovereign rights and the sovereignty of our country," Mohamad told parliament. The Philippines' foreign ministry did not immediately respond to request for comment. The Philippines has a dormant claim to the eastern part of Sabah dating back to colonial times, but official statements on the issue are rare. Its Supreme Court in 2011 ruled that the claim has never been relinquished. https://www.voanews.com/a/malaysia-to-protest-to-philippines-over-its-new-maritime-laws/7863523.html https://www.voanews.com/a/malaysia-to-protest-to-philippines-over-its-new-maritime-laws/7863523.html Thu, 14 Nov 2024 05:31:21 -0500 S. China SeaEast AsiaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) President Joe Biden and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto met Tuesday at the White House to strengthen U.S.–Indonesia ties. The meeting came days after Jakarta signed a maritime agreement with Beijing that critics say could lend credibility to China’s “nine-dash line” that reflects its expansive claims in the South China Sea. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report https://www.voanews.com/a/indonesia-s-prabowo-meets-biden-after-signing-maritime-deal-with-beijing/7861990.html https://www.voanews.com/a/indonesia-s-prabowo-meets-biden-after-signing-maritime-deal-with-beijing/7861990.html Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:42:49 -0500 East AsiaUSAS. China SeaChina Newswebdesk@voanews.com (Patsy Widakuswara)