The United States has renewed a warning that it would defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack after Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels in the South China Sea.

The United States renewed a warning Monday that it would defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack under a 1951 treaty, after Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels off a contested shoal in the South China Sea.

Philippine diplomats summoned a Chinese Embassy official in Manila on Monday for a strongly worded protest following Sunday’s collisions off Second Thomas Shoal. No injuries were reported but the encounters damaged a Philippine coast guard ship and a wooden-hulled supply boat operated by navy personnel, officials said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called an emergency meeting with the defense secretary and other top military and security officials to discuss the latest hostilities in the disputed waters. The Philippines and other neighbors of China have resisted Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims over virtually the entire South China Sea, and some, like Manila, have sought U.S. military support as incidents multiply.

  • YoBuckStopsHere@lemmy.worldEnglish
    443·
    2 years ago

    China wants to close international shipping lanes in order to control the Asian market. Right now the United States Navy keeps those lanes open, but Chinese aggression is growing. It’s similar to Japan in the 1930s in its threat to expand it’s empire throughout the Pacific.

      • Uncle_Bagel@midwest.socialEnglish
        123·
        2 years ago

        It’s not about keeping the US navy out, it’s about having an open lane for Chinese ships to get into the Pacific. The entire Chinese cosst is boxed in by islands (and South Korea) that are staunchly pro-US. World powers have always been willing to fight in order to secure their access to foreign markets and secure trade routes.

        • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.worldEnglish
          131·
          2 years ago

          What’s crazy is they didn’t need to do any of this to get that. They could’ve opted for peaceful cooperation and diplomacy. But instead, they’re using force. Their neighbors loathe them for it, and they’re turning to the US for help. They have created a situation where the countries nearest to them are firmly on their rival’s side.

          Putin made this exact same mistake. Instead of trying to build friendships with the countries he wanted to stay in the Russian sphere of influence, he chose to force them into submission.