Taiwan can join forces with Philippines in order to protect the right to free navigation, the Taipei Times reported on Thursday, citing the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is a response to a series of confrontations involving Philippine and Chin in the South China Sea in recent days.
Asia: Taiwan and the Philippines vs. China? A New Alliance on the Horizon
“Taiwan is ready to cooperate with any other country that shares common values (…), including maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement in response to a question from the daily whether Taiwan and the Philippines should join forces in the face of increasingly aggressive actions by the two countries. China in the South China Sea.
The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on a series of confrontations involving individuals Philippines i Chin already South China Sea Nearby Sabina Shoals. On Monday National Security Council The Philippines said Chinese Coast Guard vessels rammed and fired water cannons at a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel on a humanitarian mission near Sabina Bank in the South China Sea on Sunday.
The Chinese coast guard said the Philippine crew “ignored repeated stern warnings and deliberately approached” the vessel, which resulted in the collision. Taiwan's foreign ministry said the actions were “a pretext for illegal, threatening, coercive measures (taken – ed.) to interfere with the navigation of other countries' vessels.” The statement said Beijing posed a “significant threat” to the security of Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region.
China and the South China Sea
China constantly sends coast guard units to patrol the waters. The Philippines, for its part, calls the part of the South China Sea it claims West Philippine SeaThe South China Sea is considered one of the potential flashpoints for a potential conflict in Asia.
The Philippines does not maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan under its “One China” policy. However, under the rule of Ferdinanda Marcosa Jr., who took power in 2022. The country has strengthened its military ties with Taiwan's allies, including United States i JapanAnalysts say Manila could play a key role in helping Taipei if Beijing invades.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including areas claimed by China. Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brunei. W 2016 r. The International Court of Arbitration ruled that China's claims have no basis in international law. Beijing rejected the decision.
China. Our patience is limited
Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson Wu Qian said on Thursday that China is committed to properly resolving disputes between the two countries Pekin–Manila in the South China Sea region. A Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman accused Manila of saying that in April a Philippine Maritime Police vessel entered “without permission and stayed in the area of Xianbin Shoal illegally for a long time, seriously violating China's sovereignty and international law.”
Wu said the extended presence of the Philippine unit had “opened a Pandora’s box.” China is committed to properly managing differences through dialogue and consultation, but (our) patience is limited – Wu said. A Chinese defense ministry spokesman called on Manila to remove its ships and personnel from the disputed area of the South China Sea and “restore the status quo of the reef as an uninhabited area.”
USA. Jake Sullivan in Beijing. Relations with China in the background
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the US National Security Advisor visited Beijing. Jake SullivanSullivan is the first American official in that position to visit China since 2016. He has held talks with the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission since Tuesday Communist Party of China general Zhangiem Youxia and with the head of Chinese diplomacy Wangiem Yi.
Both sides agreed that it is necessary to schedule talks between the Chinese leader “in the coming weeks” Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden. They also discussed progress to date and next steps in implementing the commitments made at the summit in Woodside last year, including in the fight against drugs and maintaining security and combating the risks associated with artificial intelligence.
They also agreed on the need to organize video talks between the military commanders of the two countries “in the near future,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the White House wrote in notes.
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