China, Philippines accuse each other of reckless manoeuvres at Scarborough Shoal
Manila: China and the Philippines accused one another on Tuesday of perilous actions in a heavily contested shoal in the South China Sea, marking the latest clash over the maritime area, according to a report from The Japan Times.
A vessel from the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) accelerated and maneuverer on Monday to obstruct the navigation path of a Philippine boat approximately 36 nautical miles from Scarborough Shoal, as reported by the Philippine Coast Guard and The Japan Times.
"This incident underscores the CCG's failure to adhere to international standards... and demonstrates a stark disregard for maritime safety," the report mentioned, as quoted by The Japan Times.
China's coast guard claimed that the Philippine ship "hazardously approached" its vessel and crossed its course, alleging that it attempted to create a false collision, according to Xinhua on Tuesday. "They unlawfully neared China's regular sailing coast guard ship in a perilous manner, posing a threat to the safety of China's personnel and vessels," Xinhua reported, as cited by The Japan Times.
In the past two years, tensions between China and the Philippines regarding the South China Sea have intensified, particularly around Scarborough Shoal, a crucial fishing area both nations assert as their own. As stated by The Japan Times, China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, a critical passageway for over $3 trillion in annual maritime commerce, portions of which are also claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
On Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sent an aircraft to confront a Chinese research vessel that it claimed was operating without permission in its northern waters near Taiwan. The Chinese research vessel Zhong Shan Da Xue was detected about 78 nautical miles off the northern island province of Batanes and did not reply to attempts by the Philippine Coast Guard's Islander aircraft to establish radio communication, according to the report from The Japan Times.
"PCG aviators highlighted in their radio challenge that the aforementioned Chinese vessel does not have the authorisation to conduct marine scientific research within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines," the coast guard stated, as quoted by The Japan Times.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
Trump and Xi agree to more talks as trade disputes brew
WASHINGTON/BEIJING: US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping confronted weeks of brewing trade tensions and a battle over critical minerals in a rare leader-to-leader call on Thursday that left key issues to further talks. During the more than one-hour-long call, Xi told Trump to back down from trade measures that roiled the global economy and warned him against threatening steps on Taiwan, according to a Chinese government summary. But Trump said on social media that the talks focused primarily on trade led to "a very positive conclusion," announcing further lower-level US-China discussions, and that "there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products." He later told reporters: "We're in very good shape with China and the trade deal." The leaders also invited each other to visit their respective countries. The highly anticipated call came in the middle of a dispute between Washington and Beijing in recent weeks over "rare earths" minerals that threatened to tear up a fragile truce in the trade war between the two biggest economies. It was not clear from either countries' statements that the issue had been resolved. A US delegation led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their Chinese counterparts "shortly at a location to be determined," Trump said on social media. The countries struck a 90-day deal on May 12 to roll back some of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Trump's January inauguration. Though stocks rallied, the temporary deal did not address broader concerns that strain the bilateral relationship, from the illicit fentanyl trade to the status of democratically governed Taiwan and US complaints about China's state-dominated, export-driven economic model. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly threatened an array of punitive measures on trading partners, only to revoke some of them at the last minute. The on-again, off-again approach has baffled world leaders and spooked business executives. Major US stock indexes were higher on Thursday. China's decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets continues to disrupt supplies needed by automakers, computer chip manufacturers and military contractors around the world. Beijing sees mineral exports as a source of leverage - halting those exports could put domestic political pressure on the Republican US president if economic growth sags because companies cannot make mineral-powered products. — Reuters
Observer
3 days ago
- Observer
The top sources of U.S. steel and aluminium imports
The U.S. tariff rate on most imported steel and aluminum doubled on Wednesday as President Donald Trump ratcheted up a global trade war. Here's a summary of the major trade partners it will affect. STEEL: Roughly a quarter of all steel used in the U.S. is imported, the bulk of it from neighbours Mexico and Canada or close allies in Asia and Europe such as Japan, South Korea and Germany. While China is the world's largest steel producer and exporter, it sends very little to the United States. Tariffs of 25% imposed in 2018 shut most Chinese steel out of the market. China exported 508,000 net tons of steel to the U.S. last year or 1.8% of total American steel imports. ALUMINUM: For aluminum, the U.S. is more heavily reliant on imports. Roughly half of all aluminum used in the U.S. is imported, with the vast majority coming from Canada. At 3.2 million tons last year, Canadian imports were twice those of the next nine countries combined. The next largest sources of imports are the United Arab Emirates and China, at 347,034 and 222,872 metric tons, respectively. The U.S. aluminum smelting industry is small by global standards. Total smelter capacity in the country was just 1.73% of the global total according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Observer
4 days ago
- Observer
Philippines warns of health emergency as HIV cases soar
Philippine medical authorities on Tuesday warned of a looming "public health emergency" as HIV infections have soared this year, with young males especially hard-hit. On average, 57 new cases a day were tallied in the country of 117 million people over the first three months of 2025, a 50 percent jump from a year earlier, health department data shows. "We now have the highest number of new cases here in the Western Pacific," Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said in a video message released Tuesday. "What is frightening is, our youth make up many of the new cases," he said. "It would be in our interest to (declare) a public health emergency, a national emergency for HIV to mobilise the entire society, the whole of government to help us in this campaign to reduce the number of new HIV cases," Herbosa added. The health department said 95 percent of newly reported cases were male, with 33 percent aged 15-24 and 47 percent aged 25-34. The government did not explain the causes behind the surge, which it said had set back government attempts to hit global targets set by a United Nations campaign to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Under Philippine law, the president can declare a health emergency if an epidemic poses a threat to national security. The start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 was the last time that was done. Just 55 percent of those living with HIV in the Philippines have been diagnosed, the health department said, while only 66 percent of those diagnosed are on life-saving antiretroviral therapy. Sexual contact remains the predominant mode of transmission, with the bulk of cases since 2007 attributed to men having sex with men. HIV cases have been on the rise in the Philippines since 2021, with 252,800 people estimated to be living with HIV in the country by the end of this year.
