India and the Philippines stage a joint sail and naval drill in the disputed South China Sea
MANILA, Philippines (AP): India and the Philippines staged joint sail and naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea for the first time, a high-profile military deployment that will likely antagonise China.
Beijing has separate territorial disputes with the two Asian democracies and a long-running regional rivalry with New Delhi.
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner said Monday that the two-day joint naval sail and exercises, which began Sunday, have been successful so far and expressed hopes that Filipino forces could engage India's military in more joint maneuvers in the future.
Asked if Chinese forces carried out any action in response, Brawner said without elaborating that "we did not experience any untoward incident, but we were still shadowed. We expected that already.'
In past joint patrols with other foreign navies, Chinese navy and coast guard ships have kept watch from a distance, according to the Philippine military.
China has a longstanding land border dispute with India in the Himalayas, which sparked a monthlong war in 1962 and several deadly firefights after.
Separately, Beijing's expansive claims to virtually the entire South China Sea, a key global trade route, have led to tense confrontations with other claimant states, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam. Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also lay claims to parts of the contested waters.
The Philippines has staged naval patrols in the disputed waters with its treaty ally, the United States, and other strategic partners, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand and France to promote freedom of navigation and overflight and strengthen deterrence against China.
It has allowed journalists to join territorial sea and aerial patrols to witness China's increasingly aggressive actions, provoking angry Chinese reactions.
In response to a question last week about Manila's plans to build up military cooperation, China's Ministry of National Defense called the Philippines a "troublemaker' that has aligned itself with foreign forces to stir up trouble in what China deems its own territorial waters.
"China never wavers in its resolve and will to safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests and will take resolute countermeasures against any provocations by the Philippine side,' Defence Ministry spokesperson Col. Zhang Xiaogang said in a news conference.
Brawner said the Philippines has to boost deterrence to prevent war.
"The way to do that is number one, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has to be strengthened through modernization, and secondly, we need to partner with like-minded nations, and that's what we're doing with India,' he said last week.
During a reception on board an Indian navy tanker, the INS Shakti, on Thursday, Brawner said the vessel's port call in Manila was more than ceremonial. It "sends a powerful signal of solidarity, strength in partnership and the energy of cooperation between two vibrant democracies in the Indo-Pacific,' he said.
Brawner welcomed the deepening of relations between the two Asian countries and "reaffirmed the shared commitment to maritime security, regional stability and a rules-based international order in one of the world's most geopolitically sensitive regions.'
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos left Monday for a five-day state visit to India for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top officials to boost defense, trade and investment, agriculture, tourism, and pharmaceutical industry engagements. - AP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
7 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Wall Street stocks end lower as rally peters out
NEW YORK: Wall Street stocks fell last night as a rally ran out of steam following lackluster economic data, while investors monitor ongoing trade talks ahead of new tariff hikes set to take effect later this week. US President Donald Trump told CNBC he plans fresh tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. Trump also said he expects to raise the US tariff on Indian imports due to the country's purchases of Russian oil. The statements come before a separate set of tariff hikes goes into force on dozens of economies later this week. Swiss officials traveled to Washington Tuesday to try to strike a last-minute deal. Investors also digested an index of US services activity that came in at 50.1 percent, just barely in growth mode as companies contend with weaker hiring conditions and increased pricing pressure. The report comes on the heels of jobs data last Friday that pointed to slowing in the labor market. On the positive side, "a weaker economy could mean more rate cuts from the Fed," said Adam Sarhan of 50 Park Investments. After opening higher, US indices fell into negative territory, with the S&P 500 ending down 0.5 percent. European markets ended mixed, with Paris dipping into the red, while oil prices retreated further on worries about the demand outlook. Swiss leaders flew to Washington on Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to avoid a hefty 39-percent tariff. Meanwhile, the European Union on Tuesday announced the suspension of its retaliatory tariffs on US goods worth 93 billion euros (US$107 billion) after Brussels struck a deal with Washington last month. Among individual companies, Palantir Technologies jumped 7.9 percent after reporting its first quarter with more than US$1 billion in revenues. The data analysis and artificial intelligence company also raised its full-year revenues forecast. Pfizer was another big winner after earnings as the drugmaker reported a big increase in profits to US$2.9 billion behind higher sales of Covid-19 products and lower expenses. Shares jumped 5.2 percent. Diageo, the maker of Guinness stout and Smirnoff Vodka, rose 4.9 percent after raising its cost-savings targets following a sharp drop profits to the hit from US tariffs.
Malaysiakini
7 minutes ago
- Malaysiakini
Unsurprisingly, Akmal doubles down with crude 'OKU' jab at DAP Youth
In a move that would surprise few, Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh's tirade over an upside-down flag at a Chinese school in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, has turned distasteful, with him now mocking his critics as deserving disability status too. 'Please give these people a mirror and an OKU (disabled) card too,' he said in a Facebook post in response to an article quoting DAP Youth accusing him of being inconsistent and hypocritical.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
PM: Govt debt under control, loans used for development
KUALA LUMPUR: Government debt is under control and loans are channelled towards development rather than operating expenditures, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Responding to concerns over the national debt, the Prime Minister said while borrowings were necessary, they must be responsibly managed, with a clear focus on long-term infrastructure and social development. 'As long as we run a deficit, debt will continue to grow. That's why our strategy is to reduce the deficit gradually,' he said in response to Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (PN-Kuala Kangsar), who asked if the government was managing debt responsibly given its recent increase. Anwar acknowledged that Malaysia's debt had grown in line with past deficits but said this trend is being reversed. 'As we approach the third year of this administration, our commitment to fiscal reform has led to a consistent reduction in the deficit, from 6.4% in 2021 to 5.5% in 2022, 5% in 2023, and an estimated 4.1% in 2024,' he said during the Prime Minister's Question Time. The Prime Minister said narrowing the deficit has enabled the government to reduce its annual borrowings from RM100bil in 2021 to RM99bil in 2022 and RM92.6bil in 2023. For 2024, it will further be decreased to RM76.8bil. The government, he said, is committed to reducing the deficit in stages to avoid disrupting essential public spending. 'If we cut too abruptly, critical sectors such as education, the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR), and healthcare would suffer,' he said. Anwar also dismissed the Opposition's claim that the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) has overlooked development for bumiputra, pointing to the Bumiputra Economic Transformation Plan 2035 (PuTERA35) as a key component of 13MP, underscoring the government's dedication to bumiputra initiatives. 'We need to study the Plan thoroughly. Otherwise, there's a misconception that funds are only for Chinese new villages and not bumiputra. Clearly, critics haven't read it,' he said in response to allegations by Datuk Awang Solahuddin Hashim (PN-Pendang) that the 13MP favours Chinese new villages over bumiputra development. The Prime Minister also questioned the double standards shown by critics who were silent when opposition-led states raised water tariffs, adding that the Federal Government had no objection to the increases, as there were valid reasons behind them. 'Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu raised tariffs, but because these are opposition-led states, no one makes a fuss. If it had been the Federal Government raising tariffs, we would be harshly criticised,' he said. The Prime Minister also told Opposition lawmakers to set aside their differences and start negotiations with the government over MP allocations. He said while Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof is ready to hear the Opposition, there must be a consensus among them first.
