October 04, 2024 08:59 GMT
PHILIPPINES: Tensions w/China In South China Sea Remains Prominent
PHILIPPINES
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(MNI) London - Wires carrying comments from National Security Council adviser Eduardo Año regarding the situation in the South China Sea. Año says that the Philippines strongly condemns the "violent, illegal actions" of Chinese maritime authorities against Vietnamese fishermen on 29 Sep. Says "We stand with Vietnam in denouncing this egregious act and call for accountability." Año: "China must cease all hostile activities that endanger the lives and livelihoods of civilian mariners." Calls the "unjustified assault" an "alarming act with no place in international relations".
- In a statement on 3 Oct, Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said “Vietnam is extremely concerned, indignant and resolutely protests the brutal treatment by Chinese law enforcement forces of Vietnamese fishermen and fishing boats operating in the Hoang Sa archipelago of Vietnam,” following an incident near the contested Paracel Islands.
- Año's comments come amid a commitment from Manila to a significant military buildup in the coming years, with USD35bn allocated to expanding and upgrading the country's armed forces over the coming decade. Hosting a major exhibition of global defence contractors in late September, the Philippines is seeking to both bolster its links with the US while branching out into alliances with other Western-aligned Asian nations such as Japan and Australia.
- An increasingly-militarised South China Sea raises the prospect of direct confrontation and escalation, either through direct action or via miscalculation, in one of the globe's key trade routes.
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