"Deliberately grounded on a tiny reef in the #SouthChinaSea, part of an island chain claimed by the two Asian countries, the #BRPSierraMadre is now the unlikely base for a detachment of Filipino marines who stand guard over the atoll, scanning the turquoise waters for Chinese ships." #AyunginShoal#SecondThomasShoal#Philippines
The annual #Balikatan (“shoulder-to-shoulder”) drills will involve 16,700 soldiers simulating retaking enemy-occupied islands in areas facing #Taiwan and the #SouthChinaSea.
The military exercises will be the first to be held outside #Philippines’ territorial waters, and come amid a rise in tensions in the South China Sea. #France
The #Philippines is taking delivery of the anti-ship missile systems at a time when tensions between them and #China have escalated owing to frequent clashes in the #SouthChinaSea. The three batteries of the #BrahMos missile system would be deployed by the Philippines in their coastal areas to guard against any threat in the region. #WestPHSea
At a naval conference in #Qingdao on Monday, #ZhangYouxia, vice-chairman of the #CentralMilitaryCommission, said the sea should not be an arena in which countries can flex their “gunboat muscles”.
Beijing repeatedly says it pursues dialogue to resolve maritime disputes in the #SouthChinaSea, but makes clear this is largely on its own terms. #China#Balikatan2024
There has been relative calm in the #TaiwanStrait since the #Biden-#Xi summit, after a period of high tension in which Chinese warships and planes would regularly approach #Taiwan. At the same time however, there has been increasing friction in the #SouthChinaSea between #China and neighbouring countries, particularly the #Philippines, a #US ally. #WestPHSea