US renews warning to defend ally Philippines against China
MANILA: The United States renewed a warning on Monday that it would defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack under a 1951 treaty, after Chinese ships blocked and collided with two The United States has renewed a warning to defend the Philippines against China in case of an armed attack under a 1951 treaty following Chinese ships' collisions with two Filipino vessels off a contested shoal in the South China Sea. The collisions, which left no injuries, damaged a Philippine coast guard ship and a wooden-hulled supply boat operated by navy personnel. Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. held an emergency meeting with top military and security officials to discuss the tensions. The Philippines plans to raise its alarm over Chinese ships’ maneuvers during discussions between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on a proposed nonaggression pact to prevent a major armed conflict in the region.
公開済み : 2年前 沿って Agencies の World
MANILA: The United States renewed a warning on Monday that it would defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack under a 1951 treaty, after Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels off a contested shoal in the South China Sea.
Philippine diplomats summoned a Chinese Embassy official in Manila on Monday for a strongly worded protest following Sunday’s collisions off Second Thomas Shoal. No injuries were reported but the encounters damaged a Philippine coast guard ship and a wooden-hulled supply boat operated by navy personnel, officials said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called an emergency meeting with the defense secretary and other top military and security officials to discuss the latest hostilities in the disputed waters.
The Philippines and other neighbours of China have resisted Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims over virtually the entire South China Sea, and some, like Manila, have sought US military support as incidents multiply.
After the meeting, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro blasted China in a news conference for resorting to “brute force” that he said endangered Filipino crew members and for twisting the facts to conceal its aggression.
“China has no legal right or authority to conduct law enforcement operations in our territorial waters and in our exclusive economic zone.”
Marcos ordered an investigation of the high-sea collisions, Teodoro said, but he refused to disclose what steps the Philippine government would take.
“We are taking these incidents seriously at the highest levels of government,” he said, adding that the government called for a news conference to provide accurate facts.
The Philippines also plans to raise its alarm over the Chinese ships’ dangerous maneuvers in talks between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on a proposed nonaggression pact - a “code of conduct” - to prevent a major armed conflict in the South China Sea.
Beijing is hosting the three-day negotiations starting Monday, two Philippine officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to publicly discuss details of the talks.
Teodoro said it was “very ironic” that China was hosting the talks that aim to prevent major conflicts at sea when they just committed “a blatant disregard of international law.”
The territorial conflicts involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have long been regarded as a flashpoint in a delicate fault line in the US-China rivalry.
トピック: China, Philippines