Chinese "research" vessels operating in Vietnamese waters and Vietnam is tired of it. No idea how this will play out but both sides can't win here and I don't see Vietnam backing off. Vietnam demands Chinese ship leave its exclusive economic zone (msn.com) Vietnam on Thursday accused a Chinese survey vessel and its escorts of violating its sovereignty, and demanded that Beijing remove the ships from its waters. Vietnam and China have long been embroiled in a territorial dispute over a potentially energy-rich stretch in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which more than $3 trillion of commerce passes annually. "Vietnam demands that China immediately remove the survey ship Xiang Yang Hong 10, Chinese coast guard ships and fishing vessels out of Vietnam's waters," foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said in a government statement. "Vietnam has made contact with China several times and implemented measures in accordance with international law and Vietnamese law to ensure lawful and legitimate rights and interests of Vietnam," the statement added.
AGREED, I recall this event, it was localized but not exactly insignificant. Battalion or possibly brigade level incursion.
The Vietnamese do not mess around, so not surprising. China is focused on the US, but they are surrounded by other countries that dont like them too much.
Phillipines to take a page from Chinese playbook and build up islands for military purposes...guess they didn't liek the alst Chinese treatment they got so they are standing up to the bully and calling their bluff Philippines to develop islands in South China Sea - military chief | Reuters The Philippines will develop islands in the South China Sea that it considers part of its territory to make them more habitable for troops, Manila's military chief Romeo Brawner told reporters on Monday. The plans come amid heightened tensions between the Philippines and China, both of whom claim territory in the South China Sea and have traded accusations of aggressive behaviour in the strategic waterway. Apart from the Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin, the Philippines occupies eight other features in the South China Sea, and considers them part of its exclusive economic zone. "We'd like to improve all the nine, especially the islands we are occupying," Brawner said after attending a command conference led by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the military headquarters. The features include Thitu island, the biggest and most strategically important in the South China Sea. Known locally as Pag-asa, Thitu lies about 300 miles (480 km) west of the Philippine province of Palawan.
After expelling the US military from the Subic Bay Naval base and the Clark Air Force Base decades ago I wonder if the Philippine government will now support an American presence in the country as a deterrent to Chinese expansion.
It would seem to depend on how much China wants to spend on bribes. This latest row and now these announcements feels like a shift in tides. Will chinese misinformation now target the more nationalist members of Philippines leadership? Feels like the Philippines just drew a line in the sand. Maybe im reading too much or their defense minister spoke out of place but it seems like a line to me, one china has been physically opposed to.
China-Philippines maritime standoff escalating on path that could drag US into conflict, analysts warn | CNN
Philippines doubles down on pushing chinese buttons. China vents fury at Philippines over Taiwan congratulations (msn.com) China has summoned the Philippine ambassador after Manila congratulated the winner of Taiwan’s presidential election. China lashed out on Tuesday, a day after Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos congratulated Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-te on winning the recent vote. The highly undiplomatic comments from Beijing, which warned Manila “not to play with fire” will likely deepen the tension between the pair, which have been jousting over contesting territorial claims in the South China Sea. In a social media post on Monday, Marcos congratulated Lai, a staunch opponent of China and its claims to Taiwan, for his win in Saturday’s election and said that he looked forward to working together. “The Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposes” Marcos’s remarks, Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning said, urging Manila to give “a responsible explanation”.
That was 1979. If they couldn't learn from our experience, they aren't as smart as we give them credit for.
