Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared that Manila’s response will be “proportionate, deliberate and reasonable in the face of the open, unabating and illegal, coercive, aggressive and dangerous attacks by agents of the China coast guard and Chinese maritime militia,” following a meeting with top defense and security officials in the Philippines. “.
Regarding future actions, Marcos did not specify what measures his government would take.
The Philippine president made these remarks just a few days after two Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons at close range at Philippine Navy crew members over a dispute in the contested waters near the Second Thomas Shoal. TAIWAN STANDS AS MAJOR LINE OF DEFENSE AGAINST GLOBAL WAR WITH CHINA, CRITICAL FOR US SECURITY.
The impact apparently saved the injured Filipino crew member from falling into the water, according to Philippine military officials. One of the injured crew members was reportedly lifted off the deck and thrown into a wall after being shot by the water cannon.
The wooden boat was also damaged; it was reportedly transporting supplies to Marines at an outpost on the Second Thomas Shoal.
Since October 2023, when Manila started repairing the BRP Sierra Madre naval vessel—which had been left to rust for more than 25 years—tensions between China and the Philippines have grown more intense.
PHILIPPINES REFUSES TO PERMIT CHINA TO REMOUTE FILIPINO MILITARY OUTPOST ON DISPUTED SHOAL The Philippine Navy grounded the Sierra Madre in 1997 on the partially submerged reef known as the Second Thomas Shoal, where it has functioned as Manila’s outpost in the South China Sea.
The reef is located in the Spratly Islands, an area that is fiercely disputed by countries like China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It is designated as a low-tide elevation, meaning it is a naturally formed body of land that sits above the water during low tide.
Since the reef is outside of every country’s territorial seas and more than 100 nautical miles from the Philippines Economic Exclusion Zone, it “is not subject to any claim to sovereignty or appropriation by any State under international law,” according to U.S. S. Indo-Pacific Command.
However, despite the ship’s state of disrepair, it has long been seaworthy, and the Philippine government reportedly maintained marines stationed on it to lay claim to the disputed area, according to the U.S. S.
Navy Institute.
The US. s. denounced China’s belligerent behavior and prompted Beijing to safeguard Manila in accordance with the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty in the event that Philippine forces, aircraft, or ships are subjected to armed assault.
Click this link to download the Fox News app. Lin Jian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, addressed Washington’s remarks on Thursday by saying, “The U.S. s. neither participates in the South China Sea dispute nor has the authority to meddle in matters involving China and the Philippines. “.
“China is committed to maintaining its maritime rights and interests as well as its territorial sovereignty,” he stated.
“Our will and resolve will not be slightly altered by the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty. ****.
The USA. S. and its allies in the region, such as Japan and Australia, have urged Beijing to uphold international law and refrain from changing the South China Sea’s status quo.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)— Russia’s veto on Thursday stopped the U.S. N. sanctions against North Korea due to its nuclear program, which prompted claims from the West that Moscow is trying to hide from scrutiny because it is allegedly breaking the sanctions by purchasing weapons from Pyongyang for its conflict in Ukraine.
Russia’s change of heart about the U. N. tracking demonstrates how Moscow’s growing hostility with the U.S. s. since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, and its Western allies have made it challenging to come to a consensus on even matters on which there has long been agreement.
The veto happened during the U.S. N. a Security Council resolution that would have allowed a panel of experts overseeing sanctions against North Korea to continue operating for an additional year; however, the panel’s current mandate is set to expire at the end of April.
The actual sanctions against North Korea are still in effect despite the vote in the 15-member council, which saw 13 members vote in favor, Russia vote against, and China abstain.
Prior to now, Russia had never attempted to obstruct the experts’ work, which was yearly renewed by the U.S. Not N. For a span of fourteen years, the Security Council represented the worldwide resistance towards North Korea’s progressive nuclear weapons development.
Russia’s U. N. Previous to the vote, Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia informed the council that sanctions are becoming less effective in stopping the proliferation of nuclear weapons in North Korea and that Western countries are attempting to “strangle” the country.
The expert panel, he claimed, was “increasingly reduced to playing into the hands of Western approaches, reprinting biased information and analyzing newspaper headlines and poor quality photos.”. Thus, he claimed, it is essentially admitting its incapacity to formulate rational evaluations of the sanctions regime’s current state. “.
However, U. s. The panel’s work was deemed crucial by Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood, who also charged that Russia was trying to stifle the group’s “independent objective investigations” because it had “begun reporting in the last year on Russia’s blatant violations of the U.S. N. Resolutions of the Security Council. “.
He issued a warning, claiming that North Korea’s development of “long-range ballistic missiles and sanctions evasion efforts” will be strengthened by Russia’s veto and endanger global security. “.
Speaking on behalf of the White House, John Kirby, the national security spokesman, denounced Russia’s veto as a “reckless action” that undercuts sanctions placed on North Korea and forewarned against the two countries’ growing cooperation, especially given that North Korea continues to arm Russia during its conflict in Ukraine.
As the people of Ukraine fight for their freedom and independence against Russia’s violent aggression, Kirby told reporters, “the international community should resolutely uphold the global nonproliferation regime and support the people of Ukraine.”.
Britain’s U. N. Russia’s veto, according to Ambassador Barbara Woodward, comes after arms deals between Russia and North Korea that violate U.S. N. “The transfer of ballistic missiles, which Russia has then used in its illegal invasion of Ukraine since the early part of this year,” is one of the sanctions. “.
“This veto shows no regard for the people of North Korea or the effectiveness of the sanctions,” the spokesperson declared. In order to obtain weapons to use against Ukraine, Russia needs to be allowed to evade and violate sanctions. “.
“This panel caused Russia inconvenience by exposing sanctions non-compliance,” Woodward stated.
The U.S.F. Not N. “North Korea has been providing Russia with military material in support of its aggression against Ukraine, in violation of numerous resolutions which Russia voted in favor of,” said Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere. “.
Russia’s acting U.S. N. In response, ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said that these were “unfounded insinuations” that “only strengthened our conviction that we took the right decision to not support the extension of the panel of experts).”. “.
After North Korea detonated its first nuclear test in 2006, the Security Council tightened sanctions over time through ten resolutions that attempted, but were ultimately unsuccessful, to reduce funding and curtail the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile developments.
The council passed its most recent sanctions resolution in December 2017. Russian and Chinese vetoed a U.S. S. A resolution that was sponsored in May 2022, in response to a series of intercontinental ballistic missile launches, was set to be implemented with additional sanctions.
A committee was established by the Security Council to oversee sanctions, and on Thursday, the committee’s panel of experts was given a 14-year extension to investigate any violations.
The panel of experts is looking into 58 alleged North Korean cyberattacks between 2017 and 2023, which are estimated to have cost $3 billion. The money from these attacks is allegedly being used to help fund North Korea’s development of WMDs, according to their most recent report, which was made public last month.
According to the experts, North Korea is still developing its nuclear weapons and producing nuclear fissile materials, which are essential components of nuclear weapons, as part of its ongoing violation of sanctions. In addition, it keeps importing refined petroleum products against council directives.
