Philippines to receive second batch of BrahMos missile system from India
MANILA - The Philippines is set to receive its second batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India, its defence secretary said on Wednesday, which should bolster the country's coastal defence capabilities amid escalating tensions with China.
The expected arrival of the missile system will be the second of three BrahMos missile batteries Manila agreed to purchase under a 2022 deal with Brahmos Aerospace worth $375 million. The first batch arrived in April 2024.
"Now that they're arriving, we will do what needs to be done to ensure they are used properly," Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters.
The BrahMos, which has a range of 290 km and can be fired from land, sea and submarine, is part of the Philippine military's modernisation programme.
The second missile battery delivery comes at a time when diplomatic and security ties between Manila and Beijing are strained due to frequent clashes in the South China Sea, which China claims mostly as its own, and recently accusations of espionage.
Teodoro pushed back strongly against China's recent arrest of three Filipinos accused of spying, calling the allegations implausible.
Chinese authorities arrested three Filipinos and accused them of working for the Philippine intelligence agency to gather classified information on its military, the state-run China Daily reported on April 3, citing state security officials. It said the three had confessed to the crime.
"What capability do Filipinos have to spy in China?," Teodoro said. "What interest do we have in what goes inside their country? Our interest is what they are doing in the West Philippine Sea," he added using the term Manila uses to refer to its exclusive economic zone.
Teodoro also rejected assertions the Philippine government is fuelling anti-Chinese sentiment, saying that if such sentiment exist, the blame lies with the Chinese Communist Party.
"I will say without hesitation that they are the main cause of xenophobia," Teodoro said. "If there's xenophobia, it's because of the overreach of the Chinese Communist Party and President Xi Jinping, not just around the world, but even among their own people.'
There was no immediate comment from the Chinese Embassy in Manila on the Philippine's defence secretary's remarks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
19 minutes ago
- Business Standard
China's rare earth ban to have short term hit; seeking alternatives: Goyal
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said China's restrictions on the export of rare earth elements and related magnets will have short-term impacts on the domestic automotive and white goods sectors. He further added that the government and the industry are working actively on solutions, including diplomatic engagement, to resolve the matter. Goyal is on an official visit to Switzerland to meet Swiss leaders and businesses and explore new avenues under the recently signed Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). "Obviously, there are issues around the stopping of permanent magnets from China to India, which will affect our auto sector, particularly, and several white gods and other sectors Some companies have put in their applications, and we hope that good sense should prevail and they will get their approvals for permanent magnets," he told reporters. A wake-up call: Goyal Goyal further added that the companies are also looking at Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL) by providing the necessary materials to be able to develop, speed up the development of domestic products. "In a way, it's a wake-up call for all those who have become over-reliant on certain geographies. It's a wake up call for the whole world that you need trusted partners in your supply chain," Goyal said. When questioned about the possibility of introducing a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the sector, the minister said that he has engaged with the automobile companies, who remain "very" confident about resolving the issue. "They are in dialogue with our innovators, startups and they say they will take care of any funding requirement or pricing correction that may need to encourage faster roll out and growth of this sector," Goyal said. What's the rare earth magnet issue? In response to increased tariffs from the United States under President Donald Trump, China introduced new export controls on seven key rare earth elements and associated magnets starting April 4. The elements affected—samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium—are essential in sectors such as defence, energy, and automotive technology. Under the new rules, Chinese firms must now obtain special defence-related licences before they can export these materials. China is home to about half of the world's rare earth reserves and is responsible for 70 per cent of global extraction and more than 90 per cent of processing. While the United States, Brazil, and Australia also have significant reserves, India's share stands at around 7 to 8 per cent. However, Australia, Brazil, and the US produce very little in terms of rare earth magnets. Hong Kong contributes 10 to 15 per cent of rare earth ore extraction, whereas Japan and South Korea account for 2 to 4 per cent. Vietnam and Malaysia handle 7 to 8 per cent of processing, with the majority of processing activities still concentrated in China. According to media reports, global automakers have expressed concerns over potential supply-chain disruptions caused by the export ban of rare earth magnets. In Japan, Suzuki Motor had to halt production of its Swift model due to the shortage. Meanwhile, India's auto industry group SIAM has reportedly warned the government of a complete production halt as early as late May or early June. (With inputs from PTI.)
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
US Stock markets today: Wall Street futures inched up before opening bell, US-China trade talks enter 2nd day
Investors are watching China-US trade talks in London that could have a huge impact on the global economy as early trading on Wall Street was mostly flat. Futures for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq each inched up 0.1% before the bell Tuesday, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were essentially flat. A second day of talks was planned after US and Chinese officials met in London on Monday for negotiations over various issues, AP reported. The hope is that they can eventually reach a deal to reduce painfully high tariffs. Most of the tariff hikes imposed since US President Donald Trump escalated his trade war are paused to allow trade in everything from tiny tech gadgets to enormous machinery to continue. The S&P 500 has rallied after dropping roughly 20% from its record two months ago when Trump shocked financial markets with wide-ranging tariff threats during what he called 'Liberation Day.' Still, confusion over the potential ramifications of Trump's sweeping tariff threats have caused a host of companies to lower or altogether pull their financial guidance. That trend continued Tuesday with Designer Brands, the owner of DSW retail shoe outlets. CEO Doug Howe blamed the company's slow start to the year on an 'unpredictable macro environment and deteriorating consumer sentiment.' Designer Brands shares fell nearly 7.5% before the bell Tuesday after the company — which also owns the Keds and Hush Puppies brands — posted a much wider loss than analysts were expecting. Tesla rose early Tuesday, a day after it recovered a decent chunk of its sharp, recent drop. The electric vehicle company tumbled last week as Elon Musk's relationship with Trump imploded, but shares were up 2.3% in premarket after climbing 4.6% Monday. McDonalds dipped 1.4% after its stock was downgraded by Morgan Stanley, which cited 'structural pressures' on the fast food sector, most notably cash-strapped lower income consumers. In Europe at midday, Germany's DAX lost 0.3%, Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.5% and the CAC 40 in Paris was unchanged. In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 0.3% to 38,211.51, yielding most of its earlier gains, while the Kospi in South Korea rose 0.6% to 2,871.85. Hong Kong's Hang Seng reversed an early advance, slipping 0.1% to 24,162.87. The Shanghai Composite index dropped 0.4% to 3,384.82. There was no fresh news on the US-China trade talks, but investors appeared to grow more nervous as the day wore on. 'Chinese stocks did what they often do when geopolitics starts tightening the noose — they flinched. What began as a calm morning session flipped into a jittery sell-off as traders returned from lunch with a different mood," Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. In Taiwan, the Taiex surged 2.1%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.8% to 8,587.20. India's Sensex was nearly unchanged. US benchmark crude oil picked up 37 cents to $65.66 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, was up 36 cents at $67.40. The dollar fell to 144.53 Japanese yen from 144.61 yen. The euro ticked up to $1.1430 from $1.1421. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.45% from 4.48% late Monday. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
News18
28 minutes ago
- News18
News18 Evening Digest: Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder, Jaishankar On Ceasefire & Other Top Stories
Last Updated: We are also covering: Rajnath Singh Objects To Pakistan's Role At UNSC Anti-Terror Panel, Mamata's Message On Op Sindoor In Bengal Assembly, and more stories In today's News18 afternoon digest, we bring you the latest update on Raja Raghuvanshi's murder in Meghalaya, Jaishankar's real reason for the India-Pakistan ceasefire, and other top stories. The disappearance of a couple on honeymoon, husband's body in a ditch and wife's surrender – the mystery over the 'disappearance" of Indore's Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi ended on June 9. But then emerged the new angle – the suspected lover, Raj Kushwaha, who materialised his wife's alleged plan to eliminate the husband. READ MORE Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder: The pregnancy test of Sonam Raghuvanshi, the main accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, was 'inconclusive", and doctors have recommended an ultrasound after a week. The test was part of a detailed medical examination conducted on Monday by a team of three female doctors who assessed her physical and mental condition. READ MORE West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday questioned why none of the terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack had been captured. She suggested that the military standoff with Pakistan had been an 'opportunity to take control of PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir)". READ MORE External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has provided a candid revelation about the real reason behind the India-Pakistan ceasefire on May 10, saying, 'Fighting stopped on the 10th for one reason and one reason only, which was that on the 10th morning we hit these eight Pakistani, the main eight Pakistani airfields and disabled them". READ MORE Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) decision to appoint Pakistan as the vice-chair of its anti-terror panel was like 'asking the cat to protect the milk." READ MORE Kunal Kapoor Shooting For Ramayana? His New PICS Spark Buzz: 'He Does Look Like Indra Dev' There's massive excitement for Nitesh Tiwari's 'Ramayana', which will be released in two parts in 2026 and 2027, respectively. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash, Sunny Deol and others. Kunal Kapoor plays Lord Indra in the highly-anticipated film, and his recent pictures have left fans speculating whether he is currently shooting for the film. Fans couldn't stop gushing over his sharp jawline, with many sharing the opinion that he's absolutely perfect to play Indra Dev. READ MORE First Published: June 10, 2025, 18:03 IST
