At Asia’s largest defense summit, the president of the Philippines discussed maritime tensions with Beijing over the South China Sea. Meanwhile, top US and Chinese defense officials held a rare meeting on the sidelines.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned against tensions with China in the South China Sea turning violent amid increased confrontations with Chinese boats around contested shoals.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Friday, Marcos said the Philippines would respond if a soldier was killed by China’s use of water canons against Filipino vessels.
“If a Filipino citizen was killed by a willful act, that is very close to what we define as an act of war,” Marcos said in response to a journalist’s question.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Friday, Marcos said the Philippines would respond if a soldier was killed by China’s use of water canons against Filipino vessels.
Marcos said that the US military presence in Southeast Asia was “crucial to regional peace” amid growing pressure from China.
However, in the meeting, China’s Dong Jun told Austin that Washington’s actions on Taiwan had seriously violated the One-China principle.
The meeting offers hopes for more military dialogues between the superpowers on contentious issues like Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Just a week ago, China held military drills around Taiwan and warned of war over the US-backed territory after President Lai Ching-te began his term in office.
China scrapped military communications with the United States in 2022 in response to then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
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