US Defense Sec. Esper slams China in meeting with ASEAN counterparts

BANGKOK - US Defense Secretary Mark Esper rebuked China's behavior in the South China Sea in a meeting Sunday with his Southeast Asian counterparts.

Esper, speaking at the ASEAN-US ministerial meeting of the annual ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus, also cast doubts on Beijing's sincerity in forging a "meaningful" Code of Conduct with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

"China's activities there are a threat not only to other claimants and to many Southeast Asian nations, but to all trading nations who value freedom of the seas, and the peaceful settlement of disputes," Esper said at the meeting.

"(China's) maritime claims in the South China Sea, exemplified by the illegitimate nine-dash line, are both unlawful and unreasonable, and counter to the July 2016 ruling of the UNCLOS Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague," he said.

The nine-dash line refers to a demarcation used by China for its claim in the South China Sea, where ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam also have claims. UNCLOS stands for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

In a bid to clarify its maritime entitlements in the South China Sea amid China's aggressive assertion of its claims over almost the entire body of water, the Philippines sought arbitration in 2013 with the international tribunal and eventually won the case in 2016.

Rejecting the arbitration process and the ruling, China reclaimed disputed features in the South China Sea and fortified them with military installations, and has been driving away foreign fishermen, coast guards and militaries.

Esper said China has "stepped up its use of what it calls 'maritime militia vessels'" to ward off Filipino, Indonesian, Malaysian and Vietnamese sailors, and fishermen, as well as employing its coast guard to prevent Vietnam from "drilling oil and natural gas off its own shores."

"Through repeated provocative actions to assert the nine-dash line, Beijing is inhibiting ASEAN members from accessing over $2.5 trillion in recoverable energy reserves, while contributing to instability and increasing the risk of conflict," Esper said.

"This behavior contrasts sharply with the rules-based order we have all worked together to build for more than 70 years," he added.

Esper said Beijing's "actions in the South China Sea present a maritime challenge that requires a multilateral solution."

"I encourage you to use your sovereign spaces, as well as international ones, or risk losing them," he told his ASEAN counterparts, stressing, "multilateral approaches are key" and reaffirming Washington's intention to continue flying, sailing and operating "where international law allows."

"Together, we must stand for lawful uses of air and maritime spaces to push back against coercion and intimidation," he said.

Expressing skepticism over Beijing's "sincerity to negotiate a meaningful Code of Conduct that reinforces international law," Esper urged ASEAN not to allow the proposed set of guidelines "to be manipulated by the PRC to legitimize its egregious behavior and unlawful maritime claims, or to evade the commitments" it has signed up to.

He warned that "if this were to happen, the Code of Conduct would be counterproductive and harmful to all who value the freedoms enshrined in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea." The United States is not a signatory to the 1982 accord.

ASEAN and China last year agreed on the text, which will form the basis of future COC negotiations. Aimed at managing tensions in the South China Sea, the envisioned Code of Conduct is hoped to be fully negotiated by 2021.

China has initially proposed in the COC that nonparty militaries who wish to hold exercises with ASEAN and China must have their approval, in an apparent swipe at the United States.

Esper underscored his country's freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, which he said has been most frequent this year compared to any in the past 25 years, as "particularly important in responding to steps Beijing has taken to militarize outposts" there.

"America's sustained military presence in the region is an enduring source of stability," he said, eliciting approval from Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen, who spoke on behalf of all ASEAN ministers.

"I encourage all of us to work together to push back on this unacceptable behavior, to ensure we do not cede space or abdicate our rights," Esper said.

"For our part, the United States raises its concerns about Chinese behavior directly with the Chinese government. And we hope our words and actions provide you space to do the same."

The rivalry of the United States and China, the world's current leading powers, has extended to the influence they have over ASEAN, with each country holding a maritime exercise once with the bloc over the last two years.

At the ASEAN-China defense ministerial meeting earlier in the day, the South China Sea issue was also raised.

The two sides agreed in principle to conduct a second joint maritime exercise following their inaugural drills in 2018, Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamad Sabu told reporters afterward.

Mohamad said ASEAN again requested that the COC be respected and that Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe responded that China is willing to work with ASEAN in addressing the sea dispute.

The two-day ADMM-Plus opened Sunday in Bangkok, as Thailand is this year's chair of ASEAN, which also includes Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and Singapore.

At an informal retreat of the ASEAN defense ministers following their meeting with Wei, some voiced concerns over the South China Sea row, but overall there was optimism about the progress of the COC negotiations.

The ADMM-Plus meeting also involves the defense chiefs from the ASEAN's eight regional partners -- Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the United States.

(Chananthorn Kamjan contributed reporting.)

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Pentagon steps up efforts to counter China's rising power

WASHINGTON, United States - Maritime operations, missile tests, landing exercises: the Pentagon has been sharply stepping up its efforts to counter China's growing military power, seen increasingly as a threat.

On Friday an American warship approached the Paracel Islands, an island chain claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea, to affirm international "freedom of navigation" in the region.

The USS Wayne E. Meyer, a guided-missile destroyer, passed near the islands to contest Beijing's sweeping claims to the seas around the archipelago, which is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

The Chinese claim would block "innocent passage" by other countries' ships and is "not permitted by international law," a US Seventh Fleet spokeswoman, Commander Reann Mommsen, said.

Friday's was the sixth "freedom of navigation operation" -- or FONOPS in naval jargon -- this year, a clear acceleration in pace.

There were a total of eight in 2017 and 2018, and only six during the entire Obama presidency.

On Wednesday, the US Marine Corps announced it had conducted exercises on the Japanese islet of Tori Shima, hundreds of miles south of Tokyo, to practice landings on "hostile" shores and the seizure of landing strips.

The exercises were clearly designed to highlight the ability of the American military to invade a disputed island and establish a supply base for aerial operations.

"This type of raid gives the commanders in the Indo-Pacific region the ability to project power and conduct expeditionary operations in a potentially contested littoral environment," one of the officers in charge, Commander Anthony Cesaro, said in a statement.

Such a forthright description, coming from a Pentagon hardly known for unguarded talk, reflects the fresh impetus Defense Secretary Mark Esper has given to the US policy of "strategic rivalry" with China and Russia.

Esper, who chose Asia for his first overseas trip only weeks after being sworn in as Pentagon chief, has made clear that the US wants to rapidly deploy new missiles in Asia -- possibly within months -- to counter China's rising military power.

TO 'CHANGE THE GEOMETRY'

On Thursday, acting US army secretary Ryan McCarthy, speaking in a Senate confirmation hearing, defended the development of such new missiles.

He said the new medium-range conventional missiles Washington wants to develop -- now that the US is no longer constrained by the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, which the Trump administration abandoned last year -- would "change the geometry within Southeast Asia."

"If we can get the appropriate partnerships, expeditionary basing rights with partners within the region," McCarthy said, "we can change the geometry and basically reverse anti-access, area-denial capabilities that have been invested by near-peer competitors" -- jargon for pushing back against sovereignty claims by China and Russia.

Last month the Pentagon chose the Pacific Ocean for its first test of a conventional medium-range missile since the end of the Cold War -- effectively driving a nail into the coffin of the INF treaty, which banned the use of land-based missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,400 miles).

And in late August, Washington formally established its Space Command, or Spacecom, a new unified command charged with ensuring US domination in space, where China has been increasingly active.

Beijing rattled US military officials in 2007 when it launched a missile that located and then destroyed a Chinese satellite, in a dramatic demonstration of China's growing ability to militarize space.

sl/bbk/jm

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US defense chief says China threatens Asia's stability

SINGAPORE - Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan suggested on Saturday that China was responsible for a range of destabilizing activities in Asia, stirring already heightened tensions between the world's 2 largest economies.

In a wide-ranging speech in front of regional defense chiefs at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Shanahan called on Asian allies to increase their security spending, while emphasizing the United States' commitment to the region.

He did not specifically name China when making accusations of "actors" destabilizing the region.

"Perhaps the greatest long-term threat to the vital interests of states across this region comes from actors who seek to undermine, rather than uphold, the rules-based international order," Shanahan said in his first major speech since taking over as acting defense secretary in January.

"If the trends in these behaviors continue, artificial features in the global commons could become toll booths, sovereignty could become the purview of the powerful."

His reference appeared to be to artificial islands built by China in the disputed South China Sea, a strategic waterway claimed almost wholly by Beijing.

While naming China, Shanahan said it was in Beijing's interests to have a constructive relationship with the United States.

But he added: "Behavior that erodes other nations' sovereignty and sows distrust of China's intentions must end."

"Until it does, we stand against a myopic, narrow, and parochial vision of the future, and we stand for the free and open order that has benefited us all - including China."

Shanahan's comments come as the United States and China are locked in an escalating trade war and at odds over a range of issues, from the South China Sea to democratic Taiwan, which China says is part of its sacred territory.

CHINA TO RESPOND

China's Defense Minister Wei Fenghe is due to address Asia's marquee security summit on Sunday when he is expected to criticize the United States over its implied support for a democratic Taiwan.

On Friday, Shanahan held talks with Wei that both sides called "constructive," although their teams later reverted to type with critical comments on each other's defense strategies.

Along with the expected warnings aimed at China, Shanahan referred to cooperation between the two countries in areas like military-to-military exchanges, counter-piracy and joint efforts to reduce the "extraordinary threat" posed by North Korea's military ambitions.

Shanahan also called on US allies to contribute more to their own defenses. Burden sharing, from Asia to Europe, has long been a demand of US President Donald Trump's administration.

"We need you to invest in ways that take more control over your sovereignty and your own ability to exercise sovereign choices."

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'China is a great state': Ex Aussie PM tears into spooks over China suspicions

SYDNEY - Australia's outspoken former prime minister Paul Keating has launched an extraordinary attack on the country's top spies, branding them "nutters" who had gone "berko" over the threat from China.

Just weeks before a national election, the opposition Labor Party was on Monday forced to distance itself from its former talisman's comments. 

Keating -- who was prime minister for five years until 1996 -- told national broadcaster ABC on Sunday that the Australian Security Intelligence Organization and the Australian Secret Intelligence Service had "lost their strategic bearings."

"The nutters are in charge," Keating claimed, criticizing their suspicions of China.

"Whatever you think, China is a great state. It's always been a great state and now has the second-largest economy, soon the largest economy in the world," he said.

Australia has long tried to sustain trade relations with China despite profound differences with the country's authoritarian government.

But President Xi Jinping's muscle flexing in the South China Sea, the mass detention of Muslims and growing reach in Western societies have made that balance more difficult.

The Australian government recently barred China's Huawei from building the 5G network Down Under over security concerns, drawing Beijing's ire.

It also introduced requirements to declare paid work for foreign political entities and effectively banned a Chinese billionaire who had permanent Australian residency and had been a major political donor from returning to the country.

Keating -- who has worked as an advisor to the state-backed China Development Bank -- said the spies had "all gone berko."

Liberal Prime Minister Scott Morrison leapt on the comments, hoping it could help him claw back some ground in the polls ahead of the May 18 vote.

"Our security agencies have prevented 15 terrorist attacks in Australia," he said on Monday.

"For "a 'Labor legend' to go out there and attack the credibility of our security agencies that have been saving lives in this country, I think is very disappointing."

The latest Ipsos poll shows Labor on 52 percent and the Liberals on 48 percent in a head-to-head race, a slight narrowing of the race.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten distanced himself from Keating's remarks.

"I don't share those concerns," he said. 

"Paul Keating's an elder statesman of Australian politics," he said.

"He's never been shy of saying what he thinks. But for myself and for my opposition team, we've worked very well with the national security agencies. They know that and we know that."

arb/dm/rox

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China navy chief takes dig at US freedom of navigation patrols

QINGDAO - Freedom of navigation should not be used to infringe upon the rights of other countries, China's navy chief Shen Jinlong said on Wednesday, taking a dig at the United States and its allies who have sailed close to disputed South China Sea islets.

The United States has frequently sent warships near to Chinese-occupied features in the South China Sea, where China has been reclaiming land for runways and ports. Some US allies, including Britain, have followed suit.

China regards the patrols by the United States and its allies as a provocation, as it views almost all of the South China Sea as its territory, although Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei and the Philippines all have competing claims.

Speaking at a forum in the eastern city of Qingdao, following a major naval parade marking 70 years since the founding of the Chinese navy, Shen said everyone needed to follow the rules and "safeguard good order".

"Respect for the rules is the cornerstone of maritime good order," said Shen, who is close to President Xi Jinping.

"Freedom of navigation is a concept widely recognized by the international community. However it should not be used as an excuse to infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of littoral states," he added, without naming the United States directly.

The United States has sent only a low level delegation to the Chinese navy anniversary events. And unlike its close allies Australia, Japan and South Korea, the United States did not send a ship to take part in Tuesday's naval parade reviewed by Xi himself.

"The US government seeks a bilateral relationship that is results-oriented and focused on risk reduction," Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesman, said in comments sent to Reuters, responding to a question on US participation at the event.

"The US Navy will continue to pursue its primary goal of constructive, risk-reduction focused discourse with the PLAN," he said, referring to the People's Liberation Army Navy.

Shen said that China was continuing to advance talks on the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea, which Beijing has been having with Southeast Asian states for the past few years.

"We are committed to making the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation," he added, speaking to an audience of both senior Chinese and foreign navy officers, but without giving details.

The navy has been a key beneficiary of Xi's ambitious military modernization plan, which has seen China develop aircraft carriers, advanced new warships and nuclear submarines, and stealth jets for the air force.

"We adhere to non-conflict and non-confrontation and strive to be a stabilizer for maritime peace," Shen said. 

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ASEAN silent on China defeat, militarization but mentions UNCLOS

MANILA - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Saturday skipped mention of China's arbitration loss and its militarization and land reclamation in the disputed South China Sea.

The ASEAN Chairman's statement however "reaffirmed the shared commitment to maintaining and promoting peace, security and stability in the region... in accordance with the universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)."

The joint statement, which was issued early Sunday, was silent on China's defeat before the Hague-based arbitration court, which invalidated the basis of Beijing's sweeping claims over the South China Sea.

It also avoided any mention of Beijing's island-building activities in the disputed waters, or of Chinese militarization of these islands.

Several ASEAN leaders had reportedly called for the joint statement to mention the need to avoid "land reclamation and militarization that may further complicate the situation."

ASEAN member-states Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam have claims that overlap those of China in the South China Sea.

The Philippines was earlier urged to take advantage of its chairmanship of ASEAN and use its arbitral victory as reference during discussions on a maritime code of conduct.

But 2 ASEAN diplomatic sources earlier on Saturday told Reuters that Chinese embassy representatives in Manila had lobbied the Philippines to keep tacit references to Beijing's island-building and arming of artificial islands out of the statement.

At least 4 drafts on the issue were readied by other ASEAN delegates in case the Philippines opened discussions on the matter, a senior diplomat familiar with the deliberations told ABS-CBN News.

But President Rodrigo Duterte insisted the arbitral ruling was a"non-issue" during the ASEAN meetings this year, a position that apparently prevailed over his peers and frustrated some of them.

The ASEAN joint statement is usually released within just minutes of the conclusion of the summit.

But for the first time in its history, the ASEAN Summit wrapped up without issuing the chairman's statement on the same day as the conclusion of the meetings.

The ASEAN joint statement meanwhile called for the "full and effective implementation" of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea "in its entirety."

It also cited "the progress to complete" a framework document by June this year, a target that would "facilitate the early adoption of the code of conduct."

The statement also said ASEAN leaders "took note of the improving cooperation between ASEAN and China."

-- with a report from Christian Esguerra, ABS-CBN News

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Southeast Asian leaders wrestle over China at summit

MANILA - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte faced pushback on Saturday at a regional summit over his efforts to weaken Southeast Asian resistance to Chinese expansionism in the contested South China Sea, diplomats said.

Duterte was due to release a chairman's statement at the end of the one-day Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) leaders meeting that ignored an international tribunal ruling rejecting China's sweeping claims to the strategically vital waterway.

Ahead of the summit, Duterte said the Philippines and other nations were helpless to stop Chinese artificial island building in areas they claimed, so there was no point discussing it at diplomatic events such as Saturday's summit.

But diplomats said other ASEAN nations, unhappy with intense Chinese lobbying of the Philippines, had sought to toughen up the chairman's statement and there were hot debates on the issue leading up to Saturday's summit.

"It can't be seen that ASEAN has totally given in to Chinese pressure," a Southeast Asian diplomat in Manila for the event told AFP.

China has been turning reefs and shoals in areas of the sea claimed by the Philippines and other nations into artificial islands, and installing military facilities there.

The United States has criticized the construction work, warning against militarization in the waterway where $5 trillion in annual trade passes.

ASEAN members Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also claim parts of the sea, but China insists it has sovereign rights over nearly all of it.

The Philippines, under previous president Benigno Aquino, had lobbied hard at ASEAN summits for the bloc to voice its strong opposition to the Chinese expansionism, and official statements at those events often reflected that.

Aquino also filed a case at a UN-backed tribunal asking it to reject China's claims and artificial island building.

The tribunal last year ruled largely in the Philippines' favor. But the ruling came after Duterte took power.

CHINA WIN

Duterte steadfastly refused to use the verdict to pressure China, instead pursuing warmer relations and billions of dollars' worth of trade and aid.

In a speech to open the summit, Duterte made no reference to the South China Sea.

Duterte's chairman's statement, which is meant to reflect the views of all ASEAN leaders, will voice concern but not mention the ruling nor China directly, according to excerpts of the latest draft on Saturday obtained by AFP.

China, through its ambassador to Manila, had this week been campaigning to weaken it further, delegates and diplomats told AFP.

"The lobbying is quite intense. They (China) want it further watered down," one diplomat told AFP.

China had wanted ASEAN to remove a reference to "respect for legal and diplomatic processes", and it was taken out of the South China Sea section of the latest draft of the chairman's statement.

Filipino diplomats said the phrase was important because "legal and diplomatic processes" encompassed the entire process of the filing of the case in the tribunal until its resolution.

Nevertheless, the new draft statement reintroduced a call for no further "land reclamation and militarization" of the sea.

Diplomats said the reinclusion of the reference to land reclamation and militarization meant that some ASEAN countries were not comfortable with "total acquiescence" to China.

"This has to be reflected in the statement," one diplomat, who did not want to be named, told AFP.

Another diplomat said Vietnam had insisted the references to the land reclamation and militarization be reintroduced.

The chairman's statement was due to be released on Saturday afternoon, after the ASEAN leaders finished their meetings and ahead of an informal dinner.

The summit was also being closely watched for how Duterte, who has shocked with curse-laden tirades against the United States and other critics of his deadly drug war, handles hosting his first major diplomatic event.

Duterte's drug war, which has claimed thousands of lives and led to warnings by rights groups about a possible crime against humanity, has been widely condemned in the West.

But he has enjoyed support from some of his Southeast Asian guests this week, including Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

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Oil and shipping markets on edge after South China Sea ruling

SINGAPORE - Global oil and shipping markets reacted nervously on Tuesday after an international arbitration court ruled against Beijing's claims across large swathes of the South China Sea, fuelling geopolitical tensions in the vital waterway.

A tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, found China had breached the sovereign rights of the Philippines and had no legal basis to its historic claims in the South China Sea, a major shipping lane between Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The ruling will be seen as a victory by other regional claimants such the Philippines and Vietnam, but with China rejecting the ruling and saying its military would defend its sovereign rights, nerves were on edge.

Although shippers and oil traders said they did not expect an immediate impact on shipping as a result of the ruling, oil prices jumped following the findings. Brent crude futures were up over $1, or more than 2 percent, to $47.60 per barrel at 1110 GMT.

"It is vital that merchant ships are allowed to go about their lawful business on the world’s oceans without diversion or delay. We will of course be monitoring for any interference in the coming weeks," said Peter Hinchliffe, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping in London.

The deep waters of the South China Basin between the Spratly and also-disputed Paracel Islands are the most direct shipping lane between northeast Asia's industrial hubs of China, Japan and South Korea and Europe and the Middle East.

The geography of the region offers few economically viable alternative routes for large oil tankers or dry-bulk ships and container ships.

Esben Poulsson, president of the Singapore Shipping Association, said any actions that restricted the right of innocent passage and freedom of safe navigation for merchant shipping would potentially drive up shipping costs, resulting in a detrimental impact on maritime trade.

Reuters shipping data shows that, counting just Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) super-tankers, some 25 VLCCs are passing between the disputed Spratly and Paracel islands at any time, with enough capacity to carry the equivalent of about 11 days' worth of Japanese demand.

Some industry participants were more relaxed, however.

"It's just pure politics," Ralph Leszczynski, head of research at ship broker Banchero Costa said.

"China will simply ignore it, and it will not change in any way the reality on the ground. All there is at stake is access to offshore oil and gas deposits and perhaps fishing grounds," he said.

Insurers said costs were unlikely to rise in the short term.

"We don’t currently foresee any increase in insurance costs as a result of the ruling and would be surprised to see operators being penalized by the insurance market for trading in this area,” said Andrew Brooker, founding partner, at Hong Kong marine insurance broker’s Latitude Brokers.

Neil Roberts, manager of marine underwriting at the Lloyd’s Market Association, said the South China Sea is not listed by the LMA’s joint war committee which highlights insurance hotspots.

"Unless it is there would be no prospect of premiums rising," Roberts told Reuters. “The shallow waters and numerous reefs in the Spratly island region means that commercial shipping is unlikely to be sailing within the territorial waters of any of the islands.”

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PH ally Japan 'expects' China to follow arbitration ruling

Philippine ally Japan said it "strongly expects" China to comply with an arbitration ruling that rejected Beijing's claims to economic rights in disputed areas in the South China Sea.

"Japan strongly expects that the parties’ compliance with this award will eventually lead to the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea," Japan Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said in a statement Tuesday.

Japan also reiterated its stand on the "importance of the rule of law," as it recognized the decision of the arbitral tribunal at The Hague as "final and legally binding."

"Japan has consistently advocated the importance of the rule of law and the use of peaceful means, not the use of force or coercion, in seeking settlement of maritime disputes," Kishida added.

The arbitral tribunal on Tuesday unanimously rejected China's claims to economic rights across large swathes of the West Philippine Sea. The ruling does not, however, "answer any question of sovereignty over land territory and does not delimit any boundary between the Parties."

"There was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the 'nine-dash line'," the court said, referring to a demarcation line on a 1947 map of the sea, which is rich in energy, mineral and fishing resources.

In the ruling, judges also found that Chinese law enforcement patrols risked colliding with Philippine fishing vessels and caused irreparable damage to coral reefs.

In 2013, the Philippines filed a case against China, saying Beijing was in violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which both countries are signatories.

One of the key issues was whether the land features in the area are islands capable of supporting human habitation -- which under UNCLOS are entitled to territorial waters and an exclusive economic zone -- or rocks, which only have territorial waters, or low-tide elevations, which get neither.

In May 2016, Japan lodged a maritime defense agreement project with the Philippines, with the lease of training aircraft.


In April, a Japanese warship also sailed into a Philippine port near disputed South China Sea waters, in another sign of deepening security ties between the World War II foes to counter Beijing. -- With reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse

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Obama to lay out vision for Vietnam ties after ending arms ban

HANOI - U.S. President Barack Obama is set to lay out more of his plan for a stronger alliance with Vietnam on Tuesday, after scrapping an arms ban that was the last big hurdle between two countries drawn together by concern over China's military buildup.

The removal of a vestige of the Vietnam War suggests U.S. worries about Beijing's building of man-made island in the South China Sea and deployment of advanced radars and missile batteries in the disputed region trumped concern about Vietnam's human rights record.

Washington had for years said a lifting of the ban would require concrete steps by Vietnam in allowing freedom of speech, worship and assembly and releasing political prisoners.

In a joint news conference on Monday with his Vietnamese counterpart Tran Dai Quang, Obama said "modest" human rights improvements had been made and the decision to end the embargo was about the changing dynamic in ties and "not based on China".

The Global Times tabloid, run by the Chinese Communist Party's official People's Daily, said that was a lie and made a point of the what it said was a U.S. willingness to relax standards on human rights for the sake of containing China.

The White House "is taking advantage of Vietnam to stir up more troubles in the South China Sea", it said.

Obama is to meet civil society representatives on Tuesday, among them dissidents, who may disagree with his arms ban decision. Some Vietnamese activists have expressed disappointment that Obama may have given away leverage with the communist leadership.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was evidence engagement had worked in nudging Vietnam to make concessions, like its "unprecedented" commitment to set up independent labour unions under a U.S.-inspired Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.

In a statement late on Monday, Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong spoke of the importance of building relations of mutual respect while "not interfering in each other's internal affairs".

TRADE PUSH

Obama will give a speech in Hanoi about the development of relations since normalisation in 1995 and will champion his signature TPP, which would remove tariffs within a 12-nation bloc worth a combined $28 trillion of gross domestic product.

Vietnam's manufacturing and export-led economy is seen as the biggest TPP beneficiary. Annual U.S-Vietnam trade has swelled from $450 million when ties were normalised to $45 billion last year, and Washington is a big buyer of Vietnam's televisions, smartphones, clothing and seafood.

The TPP is not a done deal, with opposition expected in Washington amid concern about competition and a loss of U.S. jobs. Obama said he was confident the trade pact would be approved by legislators and he had not seen a credible argument that the deal would dent American business.

Obama will on Tuesday fly to Ho Chi Minh City, the country's commercial hub, which was called Saigon until North Vietnamese tanks rolled into the city in April 1975 to bring U.S.-backed South Vietnam under communist rule.

He will meet young entrepreneurs at one of the co-working spaces that host Vietnam's budget tech startups, which have been receiving attention from angel investors and Silicon Valley funds.

Obama spoke of a U.S. intention to work more closely in defence areas with Vietnam, which is keen to build a deterrent against China. Vietnam and the United States last year held coastguard and humanitarian training exercises.

Washington has longstanding defence alliances in the region with the Philippines, which is also at odds with China, and Thailand, and organises annual war games with both.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry attended a ceremony on Tuesday in which a deal was agreed with Vietnam to allow the U.S. Peace Corps to work there.

Tuesday's English-language China Daily said Obama's visit "bodes ill for regional peace and stability", and would further complicate the situation in the South China Sea, and risk turning the region into a "tinderbox of conflicts".

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Pentagon: U.S. bomber flew over artificial Chinese islands

WASHINGTON - A U.S. B-52 strategic bomber flew over artificial Chinese islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) recently and was contacted by Chinese ground controllers but continued its mission undeterred, the Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday.

"We conduct B-52 flights in international air space in that part of the world all the time," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told a news briefing in response to a question about the flight. "There was one B-52 flight...there was an effort made by Chinese ground controllers to reach out to that aircraft and that aircraft continued its mission unabated. Nothing changed."

Cook said he was not sure when exactly the flight occurred.

Last month, a U.S. warship challenged territorial limits around one of China's man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago with a so-called freedom-of-navigation patrol, the most significant U.S. challenge yet to territorial limits China claims around its new islands.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. The United States has said it will continue conducting the patrols.

U.S. and Chinese warships and aircraft regularly communicate when operating near each other in Asian waters, U.S. military officials say.

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US navy delegation visits Chinese carrier amid maritime tensions

BEIJING - Senior U.S. naval officers visited China's lone aircraft carrier this week, China's military said, as the two powers try to maintain military ties despite mounting tensions over Beijing's claims in disputed waters in the South China Sea.

The visit by the 27-member delegation of U.S. naval captains to the Liaoning, a refitted former Soviet carrier, came as Washington considers sailing warships through international waters claimed by China, a move that would infuriate Beijing.

The U.S. captains exchanged views with Chinese peers on topics like "personnel training and management, medical support and aircraft carrier development strategy," the Chinese navy's official microblog said late on Monday.

The visit was not covered widely in Chinese media until Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the U.S. delegation visited the Chinese navy's submarine school, the microblog said, part of what was a reciprocal visit for a one-week trip to the United States by Chinese naval officers in February.

China-U.S. relations have become increasingly strained over Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have claims in the area.

Washington is considering conducting freedom-of-navigation operations within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands China has built in the sea, without saying when it would do so.

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel made the first official foreign visit to the Liaoning in 2014, a move seen at the time as an attempt at transparency by China's military.

Even so, little is known about China's aircraft carrier programme, which is a state secret.

Chinese state media have hinted new vessels are being built, and the Pentagon, in a report earlier this year, said Beijing could build multiple aircraft carriers over the next 15 years.

The vessels are crucial elements in China's development of an ocean-going "blue water" navy capable of defending the growing interests of the world's second-largest economy as it adopts a more assertive stance in maritime disputes

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

ASEAN fires warning shot across China's bows

NAYPYIDAW - Southeast Asian leaders have expressed "serious concern" over worsening territorial disputes in the South China Sea, presenting a rare united front against an increasingly assertive Beijing.

Vietnam and the Philippines led a successful push for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to deliver a thinly veiled rebuke to China over the standoff in waters home to key shipping lanes and thought to contain huge energy reserves.

But a defiant Beijing said Hanoi's efforts to enlist the support of its neighbors in the row were "doomed to fail."

The 10-nation ASEAN, in a statement released on Monday after a summit on Sunday, called for a peaceful resolution to the maritime rows, which flared up this month after China moved an oil drilling rig into waters also claimed by Hanoi.

"We expressed serious concerns over the ongoing developments in the South China Sea," said the joint statement from the summit in Myanmar, without explicitly pointing the finger at Beijing.

ASEAN called on all parties involved to "exercise self-restraint, not to resort to threat(s) or use of force, and to resolve disputes by peaceful means in accordance with the universally recognised principles of international law."

Observers said the statement marked a change of tone by the regional bloc, many of whose members -- including Myanmar -- have close economic and political ties with China and have traditionally avoided confrontation with the Asian heavyweight.

In 2012 China's ally Cambodia caused consternation when it was ASEAN head by refusing to take Beijing to task over its assertive maritime stance.

"This is a far cry from when Cambodia was ASEAN chair," said Southeast Asia expert Carl Thayer, a professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia.

The statement "represents a slight tightening of ASEAN's position", he said, adding it suggests a rare level of "consensus" on the vexed sea rights issue.

Under Brunei's chairmanship last year, China avoided a public rebuke from ASEAN at a major summit after offering an olive branch by calling for peace in the flashpoint region.

Beijing struck a less conciliatory tone on Monday, insisting that the contested Paracel Islands, located near the controversial oil rig, were its "inherent territory".

"The facts show that Vietnam's efforts to rope others into pressuring China are doomed to fail," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing.

"We hope that the Vietnamese side will see the situation clearly, calmly face the facts and stop its disruptions of Chinese operations," she said.

BALANCING ACT

Prominent Vietnamese political commentator Nguyen Quang A described the ASEAN declaration as a "big positive" for his country.

Vietnam lobbied energetically at the latest meeting in Myanmar for a strong statement on the maritime issue from its neighbors.

Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung slammed Beijing's oil rig move as "extremely dangerous" and accused Chinese vessels of ramming Vietnamese ships in the disputed waters.

"This is the first time China brazenly brings and installs its drilling rig deep into the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone of an ASEAN country, which gravely violates the international law," he said, according to an official transcript of his speech.

The spat triggered large anti-China protests in Vietnam at the weekend that appeared to have the tacit blessing of the authoritarian communist regime in Hanoi, which usually limits expression of public discontent.

The demonstrations received unprecedented coverage in Vietnam's tightly controlled state media on Monday.

Analyst Quang A said more rallies were likely unless Beijing removes the drilling rig.

"Our fate is that we are situated here, with a big neighbour who always wants expansion," he said.

China and Vietnam fought a brief border war in 1979 and the pair frequently trade diplomatic barbs over oil exploration, fishing rights and the contested Spratly and Paracel Islands.

China asserts ownership over almost all of the South China Sea, which is also claimed in part by ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia as well as Taiwan.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino told reporters that "many leaders" at the summit had voiced concern about the South China Sea spats, which he said were a "cause for worry and concern by all parties".

Philippine prosecutors said Monday they would charge nine Chinese fishermen arrested in separate disputed waters with environmental crimes, despite Beijing's warning of a dire effect on relations.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Interpol downplays terrorism angle in missing Malaysia plane

LYON - The international police agency Interpol does not believe the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines plane was the result of a terrorist attack, its head said on Tuesday.

Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble also suggested that two men who boarded using stolen passports and had aroused suspicion may have been smuggled by traffickers.

The plane, with 239 people on board, has been missing for four days and a search involving crews from 10 countries widened on Tuesday to a larger swathe of the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea.

"The more information we get, the more we are inclined to conclude it is not a terrorist incident," Noble said.

Two Iranian passport holders aged 18 and 29, who started their trip in Doha, had swapped their passports in Kuala Lumpur and used stolen Italian and Austrian passports to board the airliner, he told reporters at Interpol's headquarters in Lyon.

"We know that once these individuals arrived in Kuala Lumpur on the 28th of February they boarded flight 370 using different identities, a stolen Austrian and a stolen Italian passport," he said.

Neither of the Iranian passports were reported stolen or lost.

Interpol is working with member countries to follow all leads including "terrorism, organised crime, illegal movement of people, whether in the form of human trafficking or smuggling," Noble said.

Making public the names of the two individuals listed on the Iranian passports - Pouri Nourmohammadi and Delavar Seyed Mohammadreza - might compel family and friends to offer tips that could allow authorities to exclude terrorism theories, Noble said.

"By doing this, eventually, with more and more evidence, we'll able to exclude they were involved in conduct that might have involved the plane to disappear and focus on eliminating the human trafficking ring that allowed them to travel."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Malaysia says jet may have turned back, search expanded

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian authorities were looking into the "possibility" that an airliner which vanished with 239 people on board had attempted to turn back, the country's air force chief said Sunday.

Authorities also said they were expanding their search for wreckage to the west coast of Malaysia. Searches so far had concentrated on waters to the country's east, in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).

"There is a distinct possibility the airplane did a turn-back, deviating from the course," said General Rodzali Daud, citing radar data.

"One of the possibilities is that it was returning to Kuala Lumpur."

Malaysian Airlines flight 370 vanished early Saturday, with the last known location of the Boeing 777-200 recorded over waters somewhere between Malaysia and southern Vietnam.

No debris has yet been found though Vietnam has said its search planes spotted oil slicks near where contact with the plane was lost.
Rodzali said a turn-back was "corroborated by civil radar", giving no further details.

But Malaysian Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said the plane's systems would have set off alarm bells.

"When there is an air turn-back the pilot would be unable to proceed as planned," he said, adding authorities were "quite puzzled" over the situation.

Officials also said authorities were expanding a search operation to Malaysia's western coast, facing the huge Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Rodzali, the air force chief, said Malaysia had "requested our Indonesian friends to assist us in that matter".

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

US presses Beijing on South China Sea claims

WASHINGTON - The United States on Wednesday urged Beijing to clarify or adjust its claims in the South China Sea, calling for a peaceful solution to one of Asia's growing flashpoints.

With tensions already high over Beijing's imposition of an air zone above islands administered by Japan in the East China Sea, fears are growing of a fresh showdown in a separate row in the South China Sea where the Philippines is especially concerned.

Addressing the rifts, the top US diplomat for the region challenged Beijing's so-called "nine-dash line" that outlines its territorial claims over much of the South China Sea.

Danny Russel, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said that maritime claims under international law needed to be based on land features.

"Any Chinese claim to maritime rights not based on claimed land features would be inconsistent with international law," Russel told a congressional committee.

"China could highlight its respect for international law by clarifying or adjusting its claim to bring it into accordance with international law of the sea," he said.

Russel supported the Philippines' right to take its case to a United Nations tribunal -- a move last year that was denounced by China -- as part of efforts to find a "peaceful, non-coercive" solution.

"China's lack of clarity with regard to its South China Sea claims has created uncertainty in the region and limits the prospect for achieving mutually agreeable resolution or equitable joint development arrangements," Russel said.

Russel's remarks indicate an increasingly activist US stance on the South China Sea. In 2010, then secretary of state Hillary Clinton declared on a visit to Vietnam that freedom of navigation was a US national interest in the South China Sea, through which more than half of the world's merchant goods are shipped.

But the United States, while boosting military cooperation with allies Japan and the Philippines, has generally stressed that it takes no stance on sovereignty in Asia's myriad disputes -- a position that Russel reiterated.

Warning against a new air zone

Concerns have been rising over the South China Sea. Philippine President Benigno Aquino, in an interview with The New York Times, called on world leaders not to "appease" China and drew a parallel to the 1938 decision to give Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland to Adolf Hitler's Germany.

Japan's Asahi Shimbun recently reported that China has drafted proposals for an Air Defense Identification Zone over the South China Sea, similar to a move in November over the East China Sea that sent tensions soaring with Tokyo.

China denied the report, accusing "right-wing forces" in Japan of playing up tensions. The state-run Xinhua news agency separately attacked Aquino, saying his remarks showed him to be an "amateurish politician who was ignorant both of history and reality."

Russel repeated warnings to China not to impose an Air Defense Identification Zone, which calls on planes to report to Beijing, over the South China Sea.

"We neither recognize nor accept China's declared ADIZ," Russel said. "We made clear to China that it shouldn't attempt to implement that ADIZ and should refrain from taking similar actions elsewhere in the region."

The United States, Japan and South Korea have defied China's zone in the East China Sea by flying fighter-jets through it without informing Beijing.

But Representative Steve Chabot, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Asia and a member of the rival Republican Party, accused President Barack Obama's administration of sending "mixed signals" that have emboldened China.

"It's time for the administration to move beyond speeches and find a way to reassure the region that the United States is there to stay, and that America's future in Asia is strong, committed and absolute," Chabot said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

US eyes progress on South China Sea tensions

WASHINGTON - A US official on Wednesday voiced hope that China and Southeast Asian nations will start talks soon on a code of conduct to resolve disputes over the South China Sea after repeated flare-ups.

Joe Yun, the acting assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said that China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) made apparent progress during a working-level meeting last week in Bangkok.

"I think there seems to be an understanding that at a future date, maybe sometime this year, they will announce a formal beginning of negotiations" on a code of conduct, Yun told the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"If that's the case, we would genuinely welcome it because we see CoC as a key piece of the puzzle that would bring peaceful resolution" to rival claims in the South China Sea, Yun said.

Tensions have soared in recent years as Vietnam and the Philippines accuse China of increasingly assertive claims to territories in the South China Sea, through which around half of the world's cargo passes.

The broader region is also rife with maritime disputes, with the Philippines and Taiwan recently at loggerheads and China and Japan embroiled in a bitter dispute over islands in potentially energy-rich waters of the East China Sea.

Yun reiterated that the United States does not take sides in territorial disputes and that a code of conduct, which would formalize rules of behavior, offered the best way to prevent further conflict.

"To be frank with you, I'm not sure that these territorial disputes, whether they are maritime or whatever, can ever be fully resolved in a sense that one party says, 'Damn, I think you're right, you know I never thought about that,'" Yun said.

Instead, the code of conduct can offer a way to "not disturb our stability," he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Philippines, US affirm commitment to build 'minimum credible defense' in South China Sea

The Philippines and the United States on Monday affirmed a common direction to build up a "minimum credible defense" for the Philippines, amidst rising tensions with China over disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

President Benigno Aquino III and US Pacific Command head Admiral Samuel Locklear III met on Monday, officially to “reaffirm the long standing partnership between the United States and the Philippines," presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

More specifically, Lacierda added, "Admiral Locklear reiterated the commitment of the US to help the Philippines establish a minimum credible defense posture."

Meets with AFP top brass

After meeting President Aquino and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Locklear later paid a courtesy call on AFP chief of staff Gen. Jessie Dellosa at Camp Aguinaldo Monday afternoon. Locklear is on a three-day visit to the Philippines.

Dellosa said Locklear’s visit signifies the strengthening of the close ties between the armed forces of the Philippines and United States.

“We are truly honored by Admiral Locklear’s visit, as it reaffirms the strong alliance and the good relations between our armed forces.

Coming after our bilateral meeting in Singapore last month, this visit further strengthens our bond and shared history, especially in the light of current regional developments in the Asia-Pacific, and other areas of engagement between our two militaries,” Dellosa said.

Locklear will head to Camp General Basilio Navarro in Zamboanga on Tuesday to visit the troops from the US Armed Forces Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P).

The JSOTF-P works together with the AFP to fight terrorism and deliver humanitarian assistance in Mindanao. These American forces are on a "strictly non-combat role" and will only advise and assist the AFP, share information, and conduct joint civil military undertaking in support of the peace and development activities of the government, officials said.

Details to be firmed up with DFA chief

In the earlier Palace meeting, there was no specific discussion on the West Philippine Sea, Aquino’s spokesman said, but details on what the President and Locklear took up were expected to be firmed up during Locklear's meeting with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario later in the afternoon.

Locklear's visit came days after the unprecedented non-issuance of a joint communique by the recently concluded Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phnom Penh.

Cambodia, current chairperson of ASEAN and an ally of Beijing, blocked the proposal of the Philippines to have the regional organization say something about China and growing tensions between it, Vietnam, and the Philippines, particularly with respected to disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea.

The non-issuance of a joint communique was a first in ASEAN’s 45 years of existence.

China claims the entire West Philippine Sea, which it calls the South China Sea, including Panatag Shoal and Recto Bank, which are well within the country's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

source: interaksyon.com

Chinese fishing ban takes effect

The summer fishing ban declared by China over the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea, takes effect Wednesday, May 16, amid that country’s continuing standoff with the Philippines over Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal.

But when asked if the ban would mean the withdrawal of Chinese government vessels at Scarborough, the Chinese government would only say they are committed to “diplomatic consultations.”

Although President Benigno Aquino III expressed gratitude for the ban, saying it would allow the replenishment of marine resources in the rich fishing grounds and adding that the Philippines might take similar action, the Department of Foreign Affairs has stressed that it does not recognize the Chinese initiative.

News5 reported that Vietnam has voiced its opposition to China's fishing ban, calling it unilateral and invalid. Vietnam is also a claimant to several areas in the South China Sea.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, in response to emailed questions coursed through the Chinese embassy in Manila, said: “China has expounded on our positions on the Huangyan Island incident for many times. Our position of committing to diplomatic consultation to settle the issue remains unchanged.”

Huangyan is what China calls the rock formation 120 miles off Zambales.

The Philippines also calls it Bajo de Masinloc.

Hong said the May 16 to August 1 fishing ban has been an administrative measure undertaken by China’s Ministry of Agriculture-Bureau of Fishery Administration “for many years” that is meant “to protect the maritime biological resources in the related waters, having nothing to do with the current Huangyan Island incident.”

On resolving the standoff

He also urged the Philippines to stop publicizing its diplomatic plans and actions after Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario’s latest announcement of a new bilateral initiative to resolve the standoff.

“We have already made it very clear about China’s principles and position on the Huangyan Island issue. The Chinese side urges the Philippine side to concretely respect China’s territorial sovereignty, refrain from any practice that may magnify and complicate the situation, and in particular, keep to diplomatic consultation to address the situation instead of continuing to stir up public opinion and deliver self-contradictory information,” Hong said.

Asked to comment about the public uproar in China over the standoff, with some citizens calling for a military solution to the problem, Hong maintained that China will pursue the diplomatic track.

“The Chinese government is firmly determined to defend China’s territorial sovereignty over the Huangyan Island. At the same time, we are committed to addressing the current situation at the Huangyan Island through diplomatic consultation,” he said.

He gave a similar response when asked about Aquino's pronouncement that he sees a resolution soon.

“We have just read the related report. Our related stance remains unchanged. The Chinese side hopes that the Philippine side will address the current situation at the Huangyan Island through diplomatic consultation with the Chinese side,” he said. (with a report from News5)

source: interaksyon.com

Global Times: China should punish Philippines over US offer

BEIJING — China should impose "sanctions" against the Philippines after it offered to allow more US troops on its soil, state media said Sunday, amid growing tensions over disputed waters in the South China Sea [West Philippine Sea].

Manila said Friday it planned to hold more joint exercises and to let more US troops rotate through the Southeast Asian country – an offer welcomed by the United States as it seeks to expand its military power in Asia.

China has not yet officially responded to the announcement, which was made during the country's week-long holiday for the Lunar New Year. The foreign ministry on Sunday did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comment.

But an editorial in the Global Times, known for its nationalistic stance, said Beijing "must respond" to the move by using its "leverage to cut economic activities" between the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.

China also should consider "cooling down" business links with its smaller neighbor, according to the editorial published in the Chinese and English versions of the newspaper.

"It should show China's neighboring areas that balancing China by siding with the US is not a good choice," it said.

"Well-measured sanctions against the Philippines will make it ponder the choice of losing a friend such as China and being a vain partner with the US."

China and the Philippines, along with Vietnam, have rival claims to parts of the South China Sea, home to some of the world's most important shipping lanes and believed to hold vast deposits of fossil fuels.

Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia also have claims in the South China Sea.

Manila and Hanoi complained repeatedly last year of what they said were increasingly aggressive acts by China in the decades-long rift.

The alleged acts, which included a Chinese naval ship reportedly firing warning shots at Filipino fishermen, fueled fears among some nations in the region about China as its military and political strength grows.

The US has been looking to increase its military presence across the Asia Pacific in a strategic shift that has angered China.

US President Barack Obama said in November the United States would deploy up to 2,500 Marines to northern Australia. The following month a US admiral wrote that the US expected to station several combat ships in Singapore.

China not motivation in PHL-US strategic talks

Meanwhile, a Malacañang spokesperson on Sunday insisted a territorial dispute with China over the Spratly Islands was not the Philippines’ main motivation in its second Bilateral Strategic Dialogue with the United States over the weekend.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Philippines needs a credible defense posture that can address terrorism and help patrol the country’s winding coastline.

She said this defensive capability includes efforts against terrorism and patrolling the long Philippine coastline.

“Our defense capability should include patrolling our seas. Our existing ships are in need of an upgrade,” she said. — AFP with a report from GMA News Online

source:gmanetwork.com