Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana answer questions during a Reuters interview at the military headquarters of Camp Aquinaldo in Quezon city, metro Manila, Philippines February 9, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco
Reuters: Philippine defense minister suspicious of Chinese ship activities
The Philippine defense minister on Thursday said he was "disturbed" by what he believes are survey missions by Chinese ships deep into its 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and in an area designated as its continental shelf.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Chinese ships had been monitored in recent months at various locations close to the Philippines. A warship was detected 70 miles off its Western coast in the South China Sea and survey ships were seen at the north and south of the eastern seaboard.
While President Rodrigo Duterte has frequently praised China amid a warming relationship, Lorenzana has remained openly suspicious, noting that its fortification of manmade islands inside the Philippine EEZ has continued.
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Update: Chinese survey ships entering Philippine territory: Manila (AFP)
WNU Editor: Someone should tell the Philippine defense minister that in China's eyes .... this territory belongs to them. As for Philippine President Duterte .... his mind is elsewhere .... Duterte thanks China for ‘loving’ the Philippines (Straits Times).
1 comment:
No foreign country "loves" another. Nation states don't really have permanent friends. What they have are permanent interests and outside of the needs for national defense, growing the economy, and securing stable and reasonable energy supplies depending upon the needs and abilities at the time even those interests are subject to change.
If Duterte thinks China loves the Philippines, he is either 1.) a mad man or 2.)he has something on China that will enable him to control them. Most likely it is the former.
When "allied" with the US, he could always count on the media to pretty much take his and his country's side in any dispute and the media would perform the role as watchdog ensuring the US does not step out of line because any time they do/did swift and thorough demonization of any and all US officials will/would expected from the world media. with China that will not be the case.
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