U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington stood firmly with the Philippines, rejecting what he called China’s “destabilising plans” for a disputed atoll in the South China Sea.
“Beijing’s claim that Scarborough Reef is a nature reserve is yet another coercive attempt to push sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea at the expense of its neighbours,” Rubio said in a statement.
Filipino fishermen have voiced concern that Beijing’s plan could further restrict their access to the atoll, which remains closely monitored by Chinese vessels.
Scarborough Shoal falls within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone but has been under Beijing’s control since 2012. China asserts ownership over almost the entire South China Sea – a waterway that carries more than $3 trillion in annual trade – despite competing claims from the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
Rubio warned that China’s actions continued to erode regional stability, urging Beijing to respect the 2016 ruling by the Arbitral Tribunal which found it had unlawfully blocked Filipino fishermen from their traditional grounds at Scarborough Reef.
On Saturday, the Philippines announced it had carried out joint patrols with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Japan’s navy near islands in Zambales province, around 120 nautical miles from Scarborough Shoal.
China’s state-run Global Times reported on Friday that Manila had conducted a “joint patrol” in the South China Sea with unnamed countries outside the region.
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In the midst of political tensions and a looming budget crisis in France, the government is grappling with the intricacies of passing an emergency bill ahead of the Christmas period.
Afghanistan and Iran have signed an implementation plan to strengthen regulation of food, medicine, and health products based on a 2023 cooperation agreement.
The Oligarch’s Design is an investigative documentary by AnewZ Investigations. It is built around the case of Ruben Vardanyan, but it is not a biography. It is a study of mechanisms, how money travels, how influence is packaged, and how narratives are built to look like truth.
Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments to China have surged by 1.6 million tonnes in November marking a 143% increase from the same period last year.
Vince Zampella, co-creator of the Call of Duty gaming franchise, has died in a car crash involving a Ferrari crash on Monday in Los Angeles, United States.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is monitoring recent Iranian military exercises and will raise the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump during his visit to Washington next week.
Israel’s government has approved the creation of 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that analysts say further undermines the prospects for a viable Palestinian state.
The European Union stands at a crossroads: to receive new members and accelerate the enlargement process in order to strengthen its role in the international arena, or to risk strategic stagnation by delaying expansion in favor of internal reform.
Paramount has reaffirmed its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, offering $30 per share in cash and backing the proposal with a $40.4 billion personal equity guarantee from billionaire Larry Ellison, despite the target company’s board urging shareholders to reject the offer.
In the midst of political tensions and a looming budget crisis in France, the government is grappling with the intricacies of passing an emergency bill ahead of the Christmas period.
Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments to China have surged by 1.6 million tonnes in November marking a 143% increase from the same period last year.
The European Union has released €2.3 billion in financial aid to Ukraine to support urgent social and civil infrastructure needs. According to political analyst Orkhan Nabiyev, this move reflects the EU’s assessment that a peace deal with Russia is unlikely in the near future.
At least 11 Afghan nationals have died were killed and nine others injured after a pickup truck collided with an oil tanker in Pakistan late on Sunday.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised the release of photographs linking former President Bill Clinton to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, calling the move a political distraction by Democrats.
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