South China Sea

A top US official on Thursday told a Chinese counterpart that Washington’s defense commitments to the Philippines were “ironclad” after a violent clash in the South China Sea. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell “raised serious…
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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Sunday his country is not in the business of instigating wars and will always aim to settle disputes peacefully, amid escalating maritime confrontations with China. “In defending the…
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The Philippine military chief demanded Wednesday that China return several rifles and equipment seized by the Chinese coast guard in a disputed shoal and pay for damages in an assault he likened to an act of piracy in the South China Sea.…
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China must avoid actions that would endanger sailors and vessels in the South China Sea, the Philippine foreign ministry said on Wednesday, adding peace cannot be achieved if its words do not match its behavior in the disputed waters.…
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The Philippine military dismissed Monday the China Coast Guard’s claims of a collision in the South China Sea as “deceptive and misleading.” “We will not dignify the deceptive and misleading claims of the China Coast Guard,” the Armed…
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A flotilla of about 100 mostly small fishing boats led by Filipino activists sailed Wednesday to a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, where Beijing’s coast guard and suspected militia ships have used powerful water cannons to ward off…
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The Philippines said on Monday it would keep a closer guard on reefs, shoals and islets in its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, alarmed by reports of new reclamation activities by China, which Beijing denied. The…
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The Philippines on Wednesday accused China’s coast guard of elevating tensions in the South China Sea after two vessels suffered damage from water cannon use by Beijing, an official said. Philippine officials have said a coast guard ship…
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China’s military said Sunday that it had conducted air and sea patrols and that all activities that “disrupt the South China Sea” are under control, an apparent response to naval exercises by the US and its allies. The defense chiefs of…
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A free climber known as the “French Spiderman” scaled a Manila skyscraper on Tuesday to support the Philippines’ maritime claims in the disputed South China Sea. Frenchman Alain Robert, who has scaled more than 150 structures worldwide,…
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