![]() US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Philippine counterpart, Gilbert Teodoro, on Thursday that the US commitment to the defence of its ally was “ironclad”, including in the South China Sea, according to a US summary of the call, drawing a rebuke from China. ![]() The ruling, which treaty ally United States backs and China refuses to recognise, clarified Philippine sovereign rights in its 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to access offshore oil and gas fields, including the Reed Bank, where a natural gas exploration project operated by Philippine firm PXP Energy Corp has been stalled.Īlso on AF: Chip Arm Losses Tank Samsung’s Second-Quarter Profits by 96% The Philippines won a landmark arbitration case in 2016 that invalidated China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, where about $3 trillion worth of sea-borne goods pass every year. “China must respect our sovereign rights,” Ariel Coloma, spokesperson for the Western Command, said in a statement. ![]() Manila’s military said the number of Chinese ships vessels “swarming” in Iroquois reef, just south of the Reed Bank, had risen to 47 in June from only a dozen in February, threatening the security of the oil and gas-rich Reed Bank. The Philippines has raised the alarm after the number of Chinese fishing vessels in disputed waters in the South China Sea quadrupled last month. ![]()
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