Beltway Confidential

US must resist China’s aggression toward the Philippines

By Tom Rogan
Published August 29, 2024 2:00pm ET
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US must resist China’s aggression toward the Philippines
In this handout photo provided by Armed Forces of the Philippines, Chinese Coast Guards hold an axe as they approach Philippine troops on a resupply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal at the disputed South China Sea on June 17, 2024. The Philippines said Friday, June 21, 2024, it has no plan to invoke its mutual defense treaty with the United States after Chinese Coast Guard vessels rammed, boarded, and used machetes and axes to damage two Philippine navy boats in a chaotic face off that injured Philippine navy personnel. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP)

The risk of a confrontation between the United States and China over the Philippines is growing. The Philippines is an American treaty defense ally, similar to NATO and Japan.

That matters because Chinese coast guard vessels caused willful structural damage to Philippine vessels in the Sabina Shoal and a Chinese fighter jet dropped flares into the path of a Philippine aircraft near Scarborough Shoal in recent days. These incidents have occurred within waters and airspace recognized by just about every nation except for China as being within the Philippines’s exclusive economic zone.

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Tag:

China Defense Navy Philippines Political Issues South China Sea