Latest news with #US7thFleet
GMA Network
11-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
US commander says China failed to coerce rival states in South China Sea
Photo shows an F/A-18E Super Hornet on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), which operated in the Philippine Sea following a scheduled port visit to Guam. (Photo courtesy of US 7th Fleet Facebook page) China has failed to intimidate rival claimant states into surrendering their sovereign interests in the disputed South China Sea despite its intensifying 'bullying tactics' and the United States and other allied countries are ready to further boost deterrence against Beijing's aggression, the US Pacific Fleet commander said. Admiral Stephen Koehler, who oversees the largest naval fleet command in the world, gave assurances Friday in a Manila forum of the US commitment to help defend freedom of passage and the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region. The Pacific Fleet's mission, he said, was to deter aggression across the region with allies and partners 'and to prevail in combat if necessary." China's tactics have 'grown steadily and more aggressive with rammings, water cannons, lasers and sometimes worse,' Koehler said. 'But despite these bullying tactics … China has failed to intimidate Southeast Asian claimants into surrendering their sovereign rights.' Chinese officials did not immediately comment on Koehler's remarks, but they have warned Washington in the past to stop meddling in what Beijing says is a purely Asian dispute that China has been trying to resolve peacefully. Koehler cited how Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam have sustained or expanded their offshore oil and gas operations in their Exclusive Economic Zones in the South China Sea despite Beijing's growing assertiveness. The Philippines, he said, has boldly exposed China's assertive actions by publicizing the dangerous maneuvers of Chinese forces, including the use of powerful water cannons and laser beams. 'We've seen a laudable resilience and resolve to defend their maritime rights in the face of mounting pressure. Nearly all Southeast Asian littoral states are now prioritizing stronger maritime capabilities,' Koehler told the forum. 'The US Pacific Fleet is always ready to work with you to strengthen deterrence and show no individual country can be pushed around." Deterrence, he said, has worked to prevent a larger conflict and crisis that could hamper the flow of trade through the waterway and affect many economies. Western and Asian ambassadors, including from the US, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, the European Union, Japan, and New Zealand, spoke at the forum, which marked the 9th anniversary of the issuance of a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated China's claims to virtually the entire South China Sea. The Philippines brought its conflicts with China in the South China Sea to international arbitration in 2013, a year after a tense standoff over a disputed shoal, which Beijing's forces surrounded and effectively seized. China refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected its outcome as a 'sham,' and continues to defy it. US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said the arbitration ruling was a triumph for the Philippines and 'a beacon guiding us toward a future where powerful countries cannot trample on the legal rights of other states." 'Nine years on, Beijing has ignored the ruling and continues to operate with impunity,' Carlson said. 'China continues to engage in illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions in support of its spurious claims.' She renewed a warning that the U.S. is obligated to defend the Philippines under a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty if Philippine forces come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea. With China's 'worrisome' rejection of the arbitration ruling, the Philippines has moved to strengthen its forces and territorial defense, including by pursuing legislation to demarcate the limits of its territory, which has further strained Manila's ties with Beijing, Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro told the forum in a video message. But she said that 'it is a strategic consideration that we continue the dialogue and consultation with China, even amidst tensions that severely impact the bilateral relationship." Chinese and Philippine officials plan to hold another round of talks in Beijing on their increasingly tense disputes in the South China Sea later this month to prevent further escalation. –AP
Gulf Today
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
US, Philippines conduct drills in waters near South China Sea
The militaries of the US and Philippines have carried out joint drills in waters adjacent to the South China Sea claimed by Beijing, amid a rising number of incidents between China and the Philippines in the vital Southeast Asian waterway. Participating in the maneuvers in the Sulu Sea this week were ships and aircraft from navies and coast guards, along with the US Air Force, the US 7th Fleet responsible for the Asia-Pacific said in a statement. It said the drills included 'exercises in maritime domain awareness, division tactics, maneuvering' and search and seizure. There was no immediate comment from Beijing on the drills. In a new national map released in 2003, the Chinese government demarcated its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, with vague dash lines that drew protests and rejections from rival coastal governments, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines. China has transformed seven disputed reefs into what are now missile-protected island bases, including Mischief Reef, which lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. The Sulu Sea lies inside that zone. China has ignored a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated China's extensive territorial claims based on historical grounds, and objects to activities by the U.S. military in the region - specifically those that challenge its island claims and threat to invade Taiwan, just north of the Sulu Sea. The US lays no claims in the waters, but has declared that freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of the conflicts are in its core national interests. The US also has a treaty obligating it to defend the Philippines if attacked and has been dispatching additional troops and weaponry to upgrade the island nation's ability to defend itself. China routinely harasses Philippine fishing boats in parts of the South China Sea, also within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, which extends about 370 kilometres from its coastline. Meanwhile, China conducted amphibious drills in some of its closest waters to Taiwan as the self-ruled island's president marked one year in office, state broadcaster CCTV said. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, detested by Beijing, vowed on Tuesday 'to prepare for war to avoid war' and bolster the island's economic resilience. That morning, China sent several 'armoured vehicles' into waters off southern Fujian, the eastern Chinese province closest to Taiwan, CCTV said. Footage of the drills released by the broadcaster's military outlet showed several camouflage-patterned tanks pushing off a sandy bank into the ocean. Soldiers in orange life vests drove the tanks around floating obstacles, the roughly minute-long montage showed, backed by an operatic instrumental score. 'Soldier is our identity, training is our daily routine,' said one member of the Chinese brigade, adding: 'We are always ready to fight.' Sets of high-rises could be seen in the background of at least two frames. China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it, has held several rounds of large-scale military drills around the island since Lai took office. Taiwan's defence ministry said Wednesday it had detected 15 aircraft and eight vessels of the People's Liberation Army operating around the island in the last 24 hours. China's drills were 'routine' and 'scheduled', and there was 'no impact on the security of surrounding sea and airspace', Taiwan's defence ministry said in a statement. Marking the anniversary, Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office also slammed Lai's 'separatist position' that promoted 'economic decoupling' across the Taiwan Strait. Beijing was 'willing to engage in dialogue' with Taipei but on condition that it accepts 'the one-China principle', spokesperson Chen Binhua said, referring to its policy that states Taiwan is part of China. Taiwan's Lai said Tuesday there was room for communication with Beijing if there was 'parity and dignity.' Agencies
Scoop
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
US Warship In Wellington Harbour Symbol Of NZ Vassalage
Opinion – Alison Forrest Last Friday May 16th the USS Blue Ridge, Flagship of the US 7th Fleet, sailed into Wellington Harbour and is moored at Aotea Quay until this Thursday. Hopefully it is not bristling with nuclear missiles, but if it is we, the citizens of nuclear … Last Friday May 16th the USS Blue Ridge, Flagship of the US 7th Fleet, sailed into Wellington Harbour and is moored at Aotea Quay until this Thursday. Hopefully it is not bristling with nuclear missiles, but if it is we, the citizens of nuclear free NZ, will be the last to know. The US navy promotes itself as 'deterring aggression' as they sail around in our part of the Pacific. This is the same doublespeak as using the word 'defence' to mean 'offence'. Vice Admiral Fred Kacher, commander of the US 7th Fleet, commented on the visit to New Zealand: 'Our partnership is rooted in our common values and respect…' Do we share values with people committing genocide in Palestine? Winston Peters has said in the past year that we have the same values as the US. This is probably true of the Government and much of Parliament, but it is not true of the rest of the country: New Zealanders do not value global dominance above the lives of foreign children. American values are looking less and less attractive to the rest of the world. Although it is denied by Defence Minister Judith Collins, the visit is also being seen by experts as countering China's growing influence in the region. US defence analyst Derek Grossman says: 'I think it's symbolic, but I also think it's indicative of the strengthening partnership with an eye towards countering China in the Indo-Pacific.' And that it is symbolic of an 'increasing alignment in the perspectives of Wellington and Washington'. Both those reasons for welcoming the warship in Wellington – symbolism and military security – should make us uneasy. There has been some recent sabre rattling between the Chinese and the Australians and Kiwis. This is pushing the Government to instinctively move New Zealand closer to its traditional ally without thinking clearly about our own interests. If we are concerned about our security it would make more sense to maintain our relationship with China and keep our independence. Helping the US in 'countering China in the Indo-Pacific', whatever that means, does not sound like the act of a peaceful, neutral neighbour. Judith Collins was quoted by 1 News when welcoming the warship: 'The US and New Zealand have a great relationship. Our troops and our people work together in places like Korea and the Sinai. Our relationship with the US has always been very strong – the Marines were here in the Second World War. It's a very strong relationship and always has been, and I think people will feel really happy to see them in town.' Well no, Judith, quite a few Wellingtonians are not at all happy to see them in town. There have been a couple of demonstrations against the ship's presence by peace activists led by Peace Action Wellington and Just Defence. The feeling is more outrage than happiness. Outrage that our government is getting as close as possible to a country that is the world's main agent of death and destruction, currently enabling genocide. That is the US, not China. The sight of a US Warship in our waters is not a happy one. There is a feeling amongst many Kiwis that the relationship with the States does not need to get any cosier than it already is. It is not an equal partnership but one where the US tells us to do something and we generally do it without demur. It is not in New Zealand's national interest to relinquish our sovereignty to another country – to follow behind one great power while risking antagonising another – China. It would surely be in New Zealand's interest to maintain a neutral, friendly relationship with all our trading partners, especially those with great military and economic power. That is the way to avoid not only financial damage, but war. It is bad enough that New Zealand is risking deteriorating relations with our major trading partner, China, but much worse to follow the US in spoiling for a war with China. Nobody knows what Trump will do from one day to the next, but there are indications that the US is so desperate about China's increasingly superior economic status that it is considering a military offensive to bring it down. The Americans would be keen to get NZ on board with AUKUS, and our current Government seems only too willing to follow the US with military support into a war against China. This is a war that probably cannot be won, certainly not by the US and allies, and would be disastrous for this country. One gets the feeling that we would be useful cannon fodder for the Americans in the Pacific and that if they started to lose the war they would abandon us to our fate. We are welcoming US Warships, training with the US and the Israeli defence forces, sending troops to Yemen against America's enemies, and enormously increasing the billions of dollars we already allocate to tools of war that will never be used for our own defence but only as backup for the Americans (Gordon Campbell pointed out that there are no real costings for our defence spending plan). This all shows us that the Government is only too happy to lead us into that morass. Let us Wellingtonians and Kiwis be quite clear eyed about the intentions of the US and our own Government. Let's not be taken by surprise if we are dragged down to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean behind the torpedoed American warship we are chained to.
Scoop
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
US Warship In Wellington Harbour Symbol Of NZ Vassalage
Last Friday May 16th the USS Blue Ridge, Flagship of the US 7th Fleet, sailed into Wellington Harbour and is moored at Aotea Quay until this Thursday. Hopefully it is not bristling with nuclear missiles, but if it is we, the citizens of nuclear free NZ, will be the last to know. The US navy promotes itself as 'deterring aggression' as they sail around in our part of the Pacific. This is the same doublespeak as using the word 'defence' to mean 'offence'. Vice Admiral Fred Kacher, commander of the US 7th Fleet, commented on the visit to New Zealand: 'Our partnership is rooted in our common values and respect…' Do we share values with people committing genocide in Palestine? Winston Peters has said in the past year that we have the same values as the US. This is probably true of the Government and much of Parliament, but it is not true of the rest of the country: New Zealanders do not value global dominance above the lives of foreign children. American values are looking less and less attractive to the rest of the world. Although it is denied by Defence Minister Judith Collins, the visit is also being seen by experts as countering China's growing influence in the region. US defence analyst Derek Grossman says: "I think it's symbolic, but I also think it's indicative of the strengthening partnership with an eye towards countering China in the Indo-Pacific." And that it is symbolic of an "increasing alignment in the perspectives of Wellington and Washington". Both those reasons for welcoming the warship in Wellington - symbolism and military security - should make us uneasy. There has been some recent sabre rattling between the Chinese and the Australians and Kiwis. This is pushing the Government to instinctively move New Zealand closer to its traditional ally without thinking clearly about our own interests. If we are concerned about our security it would make more sense to maintain our relationship with China and keep our independence. Helping the US in 'countering China in the Indo-Pacific', whatever that means, does not sound like the act of a peaceful, neutral neighbour. Judith Collins was quoted by 1 News when welcoming the warship: "The US and New Zealand have a great relationship. Our troops and our people work together in places like Korea and the Sinai. Our relationship with the US has always been very strong – the Marines were here in the Second World War. It's a very strong relationship and always has been, and I think people will feel really happy to see them in town." Well no, Judith, quite a few Wellingtonians are not at all happy to see them in town. There have been a couple of demonstrations against the ship's presence by peace activists led by Peace Action Wellington and Just Defence. The feeling is more outrage than happiness. Outrage that our government is getting as close as possible to a country that is the world's main agent of death and destruction, currently enabling genocide. That is the US, not China. The sight of a US Warship in our waters is not a happy one. There is a feeling amongst many Kiwis that the relationship with the States does not need to get any cosier than it already is. It is not an equal partnership but one where the US tells us to do something and we generally do it without demur. It is not in New Zealand's national interest to relinquish our sovereignty to another country – to follow behind one great power while risking antagonising another – China. It would surely be in New Zealand's interest to maintain a neutral, friendly relationship with all our trading partners, especially those with great military and economic power. That is the way to avoid not only financial damage, but war. It is bad enough that New Zealand is risking deteriorating relations with our major trading partner, China, but much worse to follow the US in spoiling for a war with China. Nobody knows what Trump will do from one day to the next, but there are indications that the US is so desperate about China's increasingly superior economic status that it is considering a military offensive to bring it down. The Americans would be keen to get NZ on board with AUKUS, and our current Government seems only too willing to follow the US with military support into a war against China. This is a war that probably cannot be won, certainly not by the US and allies, and would be disastrous for this country. One gets the feeling that we would be useful cannon fodder for the Americans in the Pacific and that if they started to lose the war they would abandon us to our fate. We are welcoming US Warships, training with the US and the Israeli defence forces, sending troops to Yemen against America's enemies, and enormously increasing the billions of dollars we already allocate to tools of war that will never be used for our own defence but only as backup for the Americans (Gordon Campbell pointed out that there are no real costings for our defence spending plan). This all shows us that the Government is only too happy to lead us into that morass. Let us Wellingtonians and Kiwis be quite clear eyed about the intentions of the US and our own Government. Let's not be taken by surprise if we are dragged down to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean behind the torpedoed American warship we are chained to.
South China Morning Post
23-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Others must step in if US abandons humanitarian aid legacy
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Advertisement As the date of the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon draws closer, my family feels forever grateful to Murray MacLehose, the former governor of Hong Kong, and Queen Elizabeth. They allowed my family to stay in a Hong Kong refugee camp after we fled Saigon on April 30, 1975, the last day of the Vietnam war. When I was four years old, my family was rescued by the Clara Maersk, a Danish cargo boat, which docked into Hong Kong harbour on May 4, 1975. In a moment of serendipity, Queen Elizabeth was making her first visit to Hong Kong as we arrived. On May 2, the Clara Maersk's captain Anton Olsen answered the mayday message of Captain Pham Ngoc Luy of the Truong Xuan cargo boat, which was sinking on the high seas. We were among the 3,628 refugees who had been squashed onto the Truong Xuan after we escaped the communist army as it advanced into Saigon on April 30. These captains are my heroes. Our journey from Saigon to Hong Kong took four days. According to Luy's memoir, the US 7th Fleet sailed by the Truong Xuan but was unable to help as the fleet was far away. My aunt, who was also on board the Truong Xuan, later told me that the US government helped pay the expenses for our journey, given that there were US allies – South Vietnamese army members – on board. I am grateful for the US' goodwill. Advertisement However, I have an ambivalent relationship with the United States. I love American culture, but I feel immense grief because the US war machine was so destructive to civilian lives during the war. Yet today, I hope the US will not fully withdraw its foreign aid for vulnerable people who face numerous illnesses. If there are gaps in US foreign aid, then I hope that Europe and Australia can contribute to programmes.
