US-Philippines officials discuss worries over China's ships
11 April, 2021
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday (Apr 10) discussed with his Philippine counterpart China’s recent positioning of “militia vessels” near the Philippines found in the South China Ocean.
Austin spoke by telephone with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana while Austin was flying from Washington to Israel to get started an international trip.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Austin and Lorenzana discussed the problem in the South China Ocean and the new massing of Chinese vessels at Whitsun Reef, which has drawn criticism from Manila.
China has said its vessels is there for fishing.
In their telephone call, Austin proposed to Lorenzana a couple of actions to deepen defence cooperation, including by “boosting situational knowing of threats in the South China Sea”, Kirby said. He didn't elaborate.
Kirby said before this week that the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group, and also the amphibious ship USS Makin Island, are operating in the South China Ocean.
The US has no army forces based permanently in the Philippines but sometimes rotates forces to the united states beneath the US-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement.
The recent gathering of Chinese vessels near to the Philippines is among techniques america has criticised as efforts by Beijing to intimidate smaller nations in your community.
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