Latest news with #SouthernTheatreCommand
Straits Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Philippines, China trade accusations on South China Sea confrontation
MANILA/BEIJING - The Philippines and China gave conflicting versions on Thursday of a maritime confrontation around a contested shoal in the South China Sea, the latest incident in a longstanding dispute between the neighbours. A Philippine Navy patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal encountered "aggressive and unsafe" movements by two Chinese Navy vessels earlier this week, the Philippine military said. China's military, meanwhile, accused the Philippine frigate of "attempting to invade" the waters around the feature and said that it had organised naval and air forces to track and expel the vessel, in a statement released by its Southern Theatre Command. The Scarborough Shoal, named for a British ship grounded on the atoll nearly three centuries ago, is one of Asia's most contested maritime features and a flashpoint for diplomatic flare-ups over sovereignty and fishing rights."Such threatening and provocative conduct can lead to misunderstanding that may escalate tensions and impact regional stability," the Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a statement. China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including areas claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. "(Scarborough Shoal) is China's inherent territory. We urge the Philippine side to immediately cease its infringement, provocation and distorted speculation," Tian Junli, a spokesman for China's Southern Theatre said. "Theatre troops are on high alert at all times, resolutely defending national sovereignty, maritime rights and interests, and resolutely maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea region," Tian added. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Chinese navy patrols South China Sea, says Philippines creating 'disturbances'
A Chinese Coast Guard ship patrolling the area as Philippine inter-agency members visites Sandy Cay 2 at the South China Sea on April 27, 2025. - AP BEIJING/MANILA: China's navy conducted a patrol in the South China Sea on Tuesday (April 29), saying that the Philippines has been creating "disturbances", as the Filipino and US air forces conducted their own joint mission above the disputed waterway. China, which claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, has been involved an increasingly tense stand-off with the Philippines in the waters there, as both seek to assert their sovereignty claims. More than 14,000 Filipino and US soldiers are participating in joint exercises which run from April 21 through May 9 for a "full battle test" in the face of shared regional security concerns. China has said the drills are provocative. In a statement late on Tuesday, the Southern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army said its forces had that same day carried out "routine" patrols in the South China Sea, without giving an exact location. "Recently, the Philippines has been frequently carrying out maritime infringement provocations, creating disturbances and pulling in countries from outside the region to organise so-called 'joint patrols'," it said in a statement. The command's naval and air forces have monitored the situation and maintained vigilance, it added. "Troops in the theatre of operations are maintaining a high level of alert, resolutely defending the country's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and resolutely safeguarding peace and stability in the South China Sea region." The Philippine military, in its own statement late on Tuesday, said the Philippines and US air forces had conducted a joint patrol over the South China Sea that day as part of ongoing defence cooperation. The maritime patrol involved three FA-50 fighter jets from the Philippine Air Force, along with two US B-1B bombers, two F-16s and an F-18. Responding in a separate statement to the Chinese military's comments, the Philippines military said the armed forces stand firm in exercising their sovereign rights and partnerships with allies like the United States that reflect shared values. "The conduct of joint exercises and maritime domain awareness operations within our territorial waters and exclusive economic zone is not a provocation - it is preparedness," it said. "To be clear: the Philippines is a sovereign state. No foreign power can dictate how we defend our home or with whom we stand in solidarity." - Reuters
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China conducts military patrol in South China Sea, warns Philippines
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's military said it had conducted a patrol in the South China Sea on Friday, the day U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Washington's commitment to the Philippines, which disputes some of Beijing's claims in the waterway. A spokesman for the Southern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army said on Saturday that the Philippines frequently enlisted foreign countries to organise "joint patrols" and "disseminated illegal claims" in the region, destabilising the area. The Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Voice of America
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
China's military says it drove away Philippine aircraft near Spratly Islands
China's military said it warned and drove away three Philippine aircraft that "illegally intruded" into the airspace near the Spratly Islands on Thursday. There was no immediate comment from the Philippine Embassy in Beijing on the Chinese military's statement issued on Friday. China's Southern Theatre Command accused the Philippine side of attempting to "peddle its illegal claims" through provocation and warned that the "clumsy maneuver is doomed to failure." China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a vital waterway for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, putting it at odds with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. A 2016 arbitration ruling invalidated China's expansive claim, but Beijing does not recognize the decision. On Thursday, the Philippines said its coast guard and fisheries bureau had jointly carried out a maritime domain awareness flight over the Kalayaan Islands, the Philippine name for Spratly Islands. The mission was to assert the Philippines' sovereignty, sovereign rights, and maritime jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, it said. More than 50 Chinese maritime militia vessels and a Chinese coast guard ship were spotted during the exercise. It was not immediately clear if that mission, which deployed two aircraft, was the one Chinese military said it responded to. The latest confrontation comes after Philippine coast guard accused the Chinese navy of performing dangerous flight maneuvers earlier this week when it flew close to a government aircraft patrolling the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Beijing disputed that account.
Al Jazeera
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
China says Philippines ‘illegally' flew planes over South China Sea islands
China's military said it drove away three Philippines aircraft 'illegally' flying over the disputed Spratly Islands, marking the second aerial incident this week involving Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea. A spokesperson for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command, Air Force Colonel Tian Junli, said the military had chased away two small Cessna 208 planes and a light N-22 aircraft on Thursday. The Southern Theatre Command said Manila's aircraft had acted provocatively in a bid to assert the Philippines' 'illegal claims' over the small archipelago, according to Chinese state media. 'The Philippines has disregarded the facts and repeatedly stigmatised, hyped and smeared China's legitimate and lawful rights-protection actions,' the Southern Theatre Command added. The Philippines claims a northwest segment of the Spratly Islands, an archipelago of 100 islands and reefs, while China claims all of it. The incident follows an earlier close encounter on Tuesday when a Chinese military helicopter flew within 3 metres (10 feet) of a Philippines patrol plane flying over the Scarborough Shoal, a rocky outcrop in the South China Sea surrounded by rich fishing grounds. While the Scarborough Shoal lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone – an area spanning 200 nautical miles (370km) from the shore – it has been controlled by Beijing since 2012, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. A 30-minute standoff between the Chinese naval helicopter and the plane was witnessed by foreign media travelling in the aircraft, which belonged to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. The Associated Press reported the Chinese helicopter pilot was warned they were acting dangerously and endangering the lives of crew and passengers. Following the incident, the Southern Theatre Command accused Manila of pursuing its 'illegal sovereignty claim with military provocations and mislead[ing] the international understanding by hyping up [which] is doomed to fail'. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, placing it in regular conflict with neighbouring countries including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Since 2013, the Chinese military has built 20 outposts in the Paracel Islands, another disputed archipelago in the South China Sea, and seven outposts in the Spratly Islands, according to the Asia Maritime Initiative. Last week, China also entered Australia's exclusive economic zone, sending three Chinese warships within 150 nautical miles (278km) of Sydney. Australia's defence minister, Richard Marles, told the media the event was 'unusual but not unprecedented', while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that China had warned of potential 'live fire' naval drills in international waters off Australia's eastern coast, and commercial flights were instructed to avoid the area.
