China has called on the Philippines to remove a grounded warship from a disputed reef in the South China Sea after an encounter in the area between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels. Over the weekend, Chinese vessels fired water cannons at Philippine boats...
US, Japan, Philippines to Hold First Joint Coast Guard Drills in South China Sea
The US, Japan, and the Philippines will hold their first-ever trilateral coast guard exercises in the South China Sea starting this week amid rising tensions with China in the region. The exercises will take place off the coast of the Philippines' Batan province and...
Joint US-Philippine Patrols in South China Sea to Begin Later This Year
The US and the Philippines should start joint patrols in the South China Sea later this year, Manila's ambassador to the US said on Monday. "An estimate would be no later than the third quarter of this year. We should have that in place," Ambassador Jose Manuel...
US, Philippines Make Defense Commitment in South China Sea Official
The US and the Philippines on Wednesday agreed on new guidelines for the 1951 US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty that formalize the US commitment to going to war if Philippine vessels come under attack in the South China Sea. For years now, US officials have pledged...
Biden Tells Marcos US Commitment to Defense of the Philippines Is ‘Iron Clad’
President Biden hosted Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House on Monday amid heightened tensions with China and told him that the US commitment to defending the Philippines is "ironclad." In comments ahead of a meeting with Marcos, Biden said the...
US ‘Ready’ to Help Philippines Resupply Ship in the South China Sea
The head of the US Pacific Fleet has said the US is "ready" to help the Philippines resupply a grounded naval ship in the South China Sea, Nikkei Asia reported on Monday. In 1999, the Philippines intentionally ran a World War II-era ship aground on Second Thomas...
US Reaffirms It Will Go to War If Philippine Boats Come Under Attack in the South China Sea
The State Department has reaffirmed that an attack on a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea will invoke the US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty following a near miss between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels in the disputed waters. The stand-off took...
US, Philippines Launch Largest-Ever Joint Military Drills
The US and the Philippines on Tuesday launched their Balikatan exercises, which are being touted as the largest-ever joint military drills between the long-time treaty allies. The drills are sure to escalate tensions with China and include a provocative show of force...
Philippines Announces Locations of Four New US Bases
The Philippines on Monday announced the locations of four military bases that the US will now have access to under a deal Washington and Manila signed in February. Three of the Philippine bases will be located in northern Philippine provinces, a move that angers China...
US-Philippines Annual Military Drills Will Be the Biggest Ever
The US and the Philippines will conduct their largest-ever annual military exercises together in April amid heightened tensions with China, Reuters reported Tuesday. The annual Balikatan exercises will be held from April 11 to 28, and about 17,600 military personnel...