Latest news with #MultilateralMaritimeCooperativeActivity
American Military News
12-05-2025
- Business
- American Military News
China claims discovery of 100 million-ton oilfield in South China Sea
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. The China National Offshore Oil Corporation, or CNOOC, has discovered an oilfield in the South China Sea with proven reserves exceeding 100 million tons, Chinese state media said on Monday. The oilfield in the eastern South China Sea – the Huizhou 19-6 oilfield – was about 170 kilometers (106 miles) from the city of Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong Province, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Test drilling of the oilfield, which has yielded a daily production of 413 barrels of crude oil and 68,000 cubic meters of natural gas, it added. RFA could not independently confirm the claims. In a press release, CNOOC said the discovery well was drilled and completed at a depth of 5,415 meters — what it characterized as 'ultra-deep layers' — facing high temperatures and pressures. Xinhua cited Peng Guangrong, a geologist at CNOOC's Shenzhen branch, as saying that 60% of the world's newly discovered oil and gas reserves have come from deep layers. The South China Sea is reputed to be rich in hydrocarbons but remains mostly underexplored because of territorial disputes. However, most discovered oil and gas reserves are in uncontested areas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. China claims almost all of the South China Sea – through which US$3 trillion in commerce moves annually – overlapping with sovereignty claims by the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Brunei. In a case brought by the Philippines, an international arbitral tribunal in 2016 invalidated the basis of China's expansive territorial claims, but Beijing has ignored the ruling. The Chinese announcement on the oil field came days after Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth met his Filipino counterpart Gilberto Teodoro and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Friday in Manila, as part of Hegseth's Asia-Pacific tour that also included Guam and Japan. Hegseth reaffirmed Washington's 'ironclad' commitment to its defense treaty with the Philippines, vowing to deploy advanced military capabilities to bolster deterrence against threats, including Chinese 'aggression.' 'Deterrence is necessary around the world, but specifically in this region, in your country, considering the threats from the communist Chinese,' Hegseth said. The same day, the U.S., Japan, and the Philippines conducted joint naval drills near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea to enhance crisis preparedness. A Chinese military vessel reportedly monitored the exercises from a distance. At one point, a Chinese frigate attempted to approach the area where warships and aircraft from the three allied nations were carrying out maneuvers. However, a Philippine frigate issued a radio warning, prompting the Chinese vessel to keep its distance. For the first time since these joint naval exercises began last year, known as the Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity, a select group of Manila-based media was granted access to observe the drills at sea. China said it also conducted a military patrol in the South China Sea on Friday.
Washington Post
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
US, Japan, Philippines stage navy drills in disputed South China Sea as a Chinese ship keeps watch
ABOARD BRP JOSE RIZAL, South China Sea — The United States, Japan and the Philippines on Friday staged joint naval drills to boost crisis readiness off a disputed South China Sea shoal as a Chinese military ship kept watch from a distance. The Chinese frigate attempted to get closer to the waters, where the warships and aircraft from the three allied countries were undertaking maneuvers off the Scarborough Shoal in an unsettling moment, but it was warned by a Philippine frigate by radio and kept away. 'There was a time when they attempted to maneuver closer but, again, we challenged them,' Philippine navy Commander Irvin Ian Robles told reporters on board the frigate BRP Jose Rizal. The latest naval drills, called the Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity , were opened for the first time to a small group of Manila-based media, including an Associated Press photojournalist, since such high-seas maneuvers and joint naval sails began last year. During the daylong maneuvers, the BRP Jose Rizal, a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer, the DDG Shoup, and a Japanese multi-mission frigate, the JS Noshiro, sailed in formation and communicated by radio. U.S. and Philippine helicopters flew around. A small group of American sailors from the DDG Shoup used a speedboat to transfer to the BRP Jose Rizal and hold discussions with Filipino counterparts. 'We are here to support our allies and support a free and open Indo-Pacific for everyone,' U.S. Navy Lt. Alexander Horvath told the AP. Such naval drills result in 'the vital improvements in our coordination, tactics and shared maritime awareness,' Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said in a statement. 'Every iteration strengthens our capacity to respond to maritime security challenges while reinforcing our collective ability to safeguard our national interests,' Brawner said. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea. A 2016 international arbitration ruling invalidated those claims, but Beijing refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected the outcome and continues to defy it. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the long-seething territorial disputes but confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces have particularly spiked in the last two years. The United States, Japan and the Philippines have been strengthening a security alliance and pressing efforts to bolster deterrence against China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, a key global trade route. The trilateral security bloc emerged during the previous Biden administration. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who visited Manila on Friday for talks with his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said such security blocs should be strengthened to boost deterrence against Chinese aggression in the disputed sea. After the Philippines, Hegseth would travel next to Japan, another staunch U.S. treaty ally. 'All three countries are sailing together right now in the region…sending those signals of cooperation,' Hegseth said. 'The broader our alliance, the better. The more security cooperation, the better…the more strategic dilemmas for our adversaries, the better.' ___ Associated Press journalist Jim Gomez contributed to this report.
Arab Times
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
US, Japan and Philippines stage navy drills in S.China Sea
ABOARD BRP JOSE RIZAL, South China Sea, March 29, (AP): The United States, Japan and the Philippines on Friday staged joint naval drills to boost crisis readiness off a disputed South China Sea shoal as a Chinese military ship kept watch from a distance. The Chinese frigate attempted to get closer to the waters, where the warships and aircraft from the three allied countries were undertaking maneuvers off the Scarborough Shoal in an unsettling moment, but it was warned by a Philippine frigate by radio and kept away. "There was a time when they attempted to maneuver closer but, again, we challenged them,' Philippine navy Commander Irvin Ian Robles told reporters on board the frigate BRP Jose Rizal. The latest naval drills, called the Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity, were opened for the first time to a small group of Manila-based media, including an Associated Press photojournalist, since such high-seas maneuvers and joint naval sails began last year. During the daylong maneuvers, the BRP Jose Rizal, a US Navy guided missile destroyer, the DDG Shoup, and a Japanese multi-mission frigate, the JS Noshiro, sailed in formation and communicated by radio. US and Philippine helicopters flew around. A small group of American sailors from the DDG Shoup used a speedboat to transfer to the BRP Jose Rizal and hold discussions with Filipino counterparts. "We are here to support our allies and support a free and open Indo-Pacific for everyone,' US Navy Lt. Alexander Horvath told the AP. Such naval drills result in "the vital improvements in our coordination, tactics and shared maritime awareness,' Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen Romeo Brawner Jr. said in a statement. "Every iteration strengthens our capacity to respond to maritime security challenges while reinforcing our collective ability to safeguard our national interests,' Brawner said. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea. A 2016 international arbitration ruling invalidated those claims, but Beijing refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected the outcome and continues to defy it. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the long-seething territorial disputes but confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces have particularly spiked in the last two years. The United States, Japan and the Philippines have been strengthening a security alliance and pressing efforts to bolster deterrence against China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, a key global trade route.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US, Japan, Philippines stage naval drills in disputed South China Sea
ABOARD BRP JOSE RIZAL, South China Sea — The United States, Japan and the Philippines on Friday staged joint naval drills to boost crisis readiness off a disputed South China Sea shoal as a Chinese military ship kept watch from a distance. The Chinese frigate attempted to get closer to the waters, where the warships and aircraft from the three allied countries were undertaking maneuvers off the Scarborough Shoal in an unsettling moment, but it was warned by a Philippine frigate by radio and kept away. 'There was a time when they attempted to maneuver closer but, again, we challenged them,' Philippine Navy Cmdr. Irvin Ian Robles told reporters on board the frigate BRP Jose Rizal. Marine Corps eyes future stability of Indo-Pacific with Balikatan 2025 The latest naval drills, called the Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity, were opened for the first time to a small group of Manila-based media, including an Associated Press photojournalist, since such high-seas maneuvers and joint naval sails began last year. During the daylong maneuvers, the BRP Jose Rizal, U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer Shoup and Japanese multimission frigate JS Noshiro sailed in formation and communicated by radio. U.S. and Philippine helicopters flew around. A small group of American sailors from the DDG Shoup used a speedboat to transfer to the BRP Jose Rizal and hold discussions with Filipino counterparts. 'We are here to support our allies and support a free and open Indo-Pacific for everyone,' U.S. Navy Lt. Alexander Horvath told the AP. Such naval drills result in 'the vital improvements in our coordination, tactics and shared maritime awareness,' Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said in a statement. 'Every iteration strengthens our capacity to respond to maritime security challenges while reinforcing our collective ability to safeguard our national interests,' Brawner said. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea. A 2016 international arbitration ruling invalidated those claims, but Beijing refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected the outcome and continues to defy it. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the long-seething territorial disputes but confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces have particularly spiked in the last two years. The United States, Japan and the Philippines have been strengthening a security alliance and pressing efforts to bolster deterrence against China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, a key global trade route. The trilateral security bloc emerged during the previous Biden administration. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who visited Manila on Friday for talks with his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said such security blocs should be strengthened to boost deterrence against Chinese aggression in the disputed sea. After the Philippines, Hegseth would travel next to Japan, another staunch U.S. treaty ally. 'All three countries are sailing together right now in the region … sending those signals of cooperation,' Hegseth said. 'The broader our alliance, the better. The more security cooperation, the better … the more strategic dilemmas for our adversaries, the better.' Associated Press journalist Jim Gomez contributed to this report.
The Hill
28-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
US, Japan, Philippines stage navy drills in disputed South China Sea as a Chinese ship keeps watch
ABOARD BRP JOSE RIZAL, South China Sea (AP) — The United States, Japan and the Philippines on Friday staged joint naval drills to boost crisis readiness off a disputed South China Sea shoal as a Chinese military ship kept watch from a distance. The Chinese frigate attempted to get closer to the waters, where the warships and aircraft from the three allied countries were undertaking maneuvers off the Scarborough Shoal in an unsettling moment, but it was warned by a Philippine frigate by radio and kept away. 'There was a time when they attempted to maneuver closer but, again, we challenged them,' Philippine navy Commander Irvin Ian Robles told reporters on board the frigate BRP Jose Rizal. The latest naval drills, called the Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity, were opened for the first time to a small group of Manila-based media, including an Associated Press photojournalist, since such high-seas maneuvers and joint naval sails began last year. During the daylong maneuvers, the BRP Jose Rizal, a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer, the DDG Shoup, and a Japanese multi-mission frigate, the JS Noshiro, sailed in formation and communicated by radio. U.S. and Philippine helicopters flew around. A small group of American sailors from the DDG Shoup used a speedboat to transfer to the BRP Jose Rizal and hold discussions with Filipino counterparts. 'We are here to support our allies and support a free and open Indo-Pacific for everyone,' U.S. Navy Lt. Alexander Horvath told the AP. Such naval drills result in 'the vital improvements in our coordination, tactics and shared maritime awareness,' Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said in a statement. 'Every iteration strengthens our capacity to respond to maritime security challenges while reinforcing our collective ability to safeguard our national interests,' Brawner said. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea. A 2016 international arbitration ruling invalidated those claims, but Beijing refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected the outcome and continues to defy it. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the long-seething territorial disputes but confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces have particularly spiked in the last two years. The United States, Japan and the Philippines have been strengthening a security alliance and pressing efforts to bolster deterrence against China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, a key global trade route. The trilateral security bloc emerged during the previous Biden administration. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who visited Manila on Friday for talks with his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said such security blocs should be strengthened to boost deterrence against Chinese aggression in the disputed sea. After the Philippines, Hegseth would travel next to Japan, another staunch U.S. treaty ally. 'All three countries are sailing together right now in the region…sending those signals of cooperation,' Hegseth said. 'The broader our alliance, the better. The more security cooperation, the better…the more strategic dilemmas for our adversaries, the better.'
