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China ‘ rmly’ opposes ‘meddling’ in...
PAGE A1 that an armed attack anywhere in the South China Sea, on the vessels, aircraft, or armed forces of Manila and Washington— including their Coast Guards— would invoke the two countries’ commitments under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.
In April, two Chinese Coast Guard vessels intercepted the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Malapascua and BRP Malabrigo. PCG said the Chinese vessels carried out "dangerous
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The Department of Transportation said the PCG was "in the legitimate exercise of Philippine rights" in the West Philippine Sea, the part of the South China Sea inside the country’s exclusive economic zone. The bilateral defense guidelines also chart a way forward to build interoperability in both conventional and nonconventional domains. The guidelines were released as President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. visited the Pentagon. Sought for his reaction to Beijing's remarks, Marcos said in a briefing that the statement was directed to Washington. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, ignoring an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.