Filipino soldiers fight off ‘armed’ Chinese coastguard with ‘bare hands’ in disputed South China Sea

Published

1 year ago

June 20, 2024

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Filipino soldiers used their “bare hands” to fight off armed Chinese coastguard in the disputed South China Sea, a Philippine military chief has said.

General Romeo Brawner Jr, head of the Philippine armed forces, accused Chinese personnel of boarding more than eight motorboats and repeatedly ramming, then boarding, two inflatable vessels on Monday.

Comparing the act to piracy, he said the Chinese had bladed weapons and tried to prevent the transfer of food, firearms and other supplies to a Philippine territorial outpost in the disputed area of the Second Thomas Shoal.

Hostilities between the two countries have escalated in and around the shoal – where the Philippines grounded the BRP Sierra Madre ship in 1999 to create the outpost – which is also claimed by Beijing.

Footage released by the Philippine military on Wednesday showed the dispute, with Chinese personnel brandishing what appeared to be machetes, knives, axes, hammers and sticks while surrounding two supply boats.

Sirens blared constantly as both sides could be heard yelling at each other. The Chinese appeared to smash the Philippine navy boat with a pole and images showed its side floaters slashed and deflated, and another boat with its windshields and navigational screens shattered.

One Filipino solider lost his right thumb and a number of others were injured as M4 rifles, navigation equipment and other supplies were seized, two Philippine security officials said.

“Only pirates do this. Only pirates board, steal, and destroy ships, equipment, and belongings,” Gen Brawner said.

He demanded the Chinese return all firearms and equipment and “pay for the damage they caused”.

China blamed the Philippines for the confrontation, saying Filipino personnel “trespassed” into the shoal, ignoring its warnings.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the Chinese coastguard took “professional law-enforcement measures”, accusing the Philippines of illegally supplying its vessels.

“No direct measures were taken against the Philippine personnel,” he added.

The incident prompted the US to renew a warning that it is obligated to defend the Philippines, a treaty ally.

In addition to China and the Philippines – Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have conflicting territorial claims in the waterway.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea – a claim invalidated by an international tribunal in 2016.

A “brazen act of aggression” by China – Philippines defence secretary

The latest confrontation in the South China Sea is a new low in relations between China and the Philippines.

It is a simmering dispute that threatens to drag the United States and others into global conflict.

Manila says the images of Chinese Coast Guard officers brandishing an axe represent a “brazen act of aggression”. Beijing says it took “professional law-enforcement measures with restraint” – denying making any “direct measures” at Philippine personnel and insisting they were only stopping an “illegal supply mission”.

It feels, however, like an inflection point at a very tense time. The images being circulated online by both sides are only further inflaming the crisis.

In April, Sky News witnessed the Chinese Coast Guard firing water cannons at the Philippine Coast Guard.

In an exclusive interview with Sky News, the defence secretary of the Philippines has told Sky News all out conflict with China is “a big concern” for his country and that they are facing a very “volatile and dynamic situation”.

Gilberto Teodoro claimed Beijing’s ultimate aim is to “strangle international commerce and bring the South China Sea under their exclusive control”.

But Beijing has said its decision to fire water cannons in April was “necessary” and that the Philippines was “violating their sovereignty”.

Mr Teodoro insisted they are simply defending waters that are rightfully theirs and have an “obligation” as a government to “ensure that the Filipino people have the ultimate use and be the ultimate beneficiaries of the economic zone”.

He cast Beijing’s actions near the disputed shoal as part of a campaign of “persistent bullying” bent on “weakening our economy and moral fabric”.

Tensions between the Philippines and China have intensified in recent months.

Mr Teodoro would not be drawn on whether his administration has a red line and insisted they are a “peace loving people” who want to “avoid conflict”. But he also added that any perceived illegal acts by China would be “a violation of our basic law, our constitution” and impossible for “government officials to ignore”.

“The idea of any sort of armed conflict to any Filipino, is really worrisome… We will always try to avoid it. However, in the face of illegal acts by China, it will be a violation of our basic law, our constitution, for government officials to ignore this fact,” he said.

Manila refers to the portion of the South China Sea that is within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as the West Philippine Sea. The Philippines National Task Force says it will continue supply missions to the shoal “on a regular basis”.

Mr Teodoro says as long as they are “harassed” by China, “these conflicts will continue because these are Filipino fishermen within the EEZ and within traditional fishing areas”.

The US has recently made clear it will respond if there is a military move against the Philippines by China. But Mr Teodoro wants to see more outrage internationally. “I wish the whole world was more vociferous in voicing their concern and opposition to what China is illegally doing,” he said.

He believes China has not only “attempted to redefine international law but to also redefine the English dictionary with the word provocation” – the product he claims of a “paranoid mentality brought up by a closed society”.

It is the kind of rhetoric that will enrage Beijing and unlikely to encourage any kind of concessions.

In January, Manila and Beijing agreed to improve maritime communication through talks, especially regarding the shoal.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela described China’s actions as “provocative, unprofessional and inhumane”.

“They serve as a clear indication that humanity has once again allowed barbarism to trample upon compassion, and that what is right is only defined by might,” he wrote on X after the latest clash.

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Trump’s USAID cuts could lead to 14 million deaths, report warns

Published

10 hours ago

July 1, 2025

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Trump's USAID cuts could lead to 14 million deaths, report warns

Around 14 million people could die across the world over the next five years because of cuts to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), researchers have warned.

Children under five are expected to make up around a third (4.5 million) of the mortalities, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal.

Estimates showed that “unless the abrupt funding cuts announced and implemented in the first half of 2025 are reversed, a staggering number of avoidable deaths could occur by 2030”.

“Beyond causing millions of avoidable deaths – particularly among the most vulnerable – these cuts risk reversing decades of progress in health and socioeconomic development in LMICs [low and middle-income countries],” the report said.

USAID programmes have prevented the deaths of more than 91 million people, around a third of them among children, the study suggests.

The agency’s work has been linked to a 65% fall in deaths from HIV/AIDS, or 25.5 million people.

Eight million deaths from malaria, more than half the total, around 11 million from diarrheal diseases and nearly five million from tuberculosis (TB), have also been prevented.

USAID has been vital in improving global health, “especially in LMICs, particularly African nations,” according to the report.

Established in 1961, the agency was tasked with providing humanitarian assistance and helping economic growth in developing countries, especially those deemed strategic to Washington.

But the Trump administration has made little secret of its antipathy towards the agency, which became an early victim of cuts carried out by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – formerly led by Elon Musk – in what the US government said was part of a broader plan to remove wasteful spending.

In March, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said more than 80% of USAID schemes had been closed following a six-week review, leaving around 1,000 active.

The US is the world’s largest humanitarian aid donor, providing around $61bn (£44bn) in foreign assistance last year, according to government data, or at least 38% of the total, and USAID is the world’s leading donor for humanitarian and development aid, the report said.

Between 2017 and 2020, the agency responded to more than 240 natural disasters and crises worldwide – and in 2016 it sent food assistance to more than 53 million people across 47 countries.

The study assessed all-age and all-cause mortality rates in 133 countries and territories, including all those classified as low and middle-income, supported by USAID from 2001 to 2021.

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Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended amid outrage over leaked phone call

Published

13 hours ago

July 1, 2025

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Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended amid outrage over leaked phone call

Thailand’s prime minister has been suspended after a leaked phone call with a senior Cambodian politician caused outrage.

An ethics investigation into Paetongtarn Shinawatra is under way and she could end up being dismissed.

The country’s constitutional court took up a petition from 36 senators, who claimed dishonesty and a breach of ethical standards, and voted 7 to 2 to suspend her.

The prime minister’s call with Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen, sparked public protests after she tried to appease him and criticised a Thai army commander – a taboo move in a country where the military is extremely influential.

Ms Shinawatra was trying to defuse mounting tensions at the border – which in May resulted in the death of one Cambodian soldier.

Thousands of conservative, nationalist protesters held a demo in Bangkok on Saturday to urge her to step down.

Her party is clinging on to power after another group withdrew from their alliance a few weeks ago over the phone call. Calls for a no-confidence vote are likely.

Deputy prime minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit will take over temporarily while the court looks into the case.

The 38-year-old prime minister – Thailand‘s youngest ever leader – has 15 days to respond to the probe. She has apologised and said her approach in the call was a negotiating tactic.

The popularity of her government has slumped recently, with an opinion poll showing an approval rating of 9.2%, down from 30.9% in March.

Ms Shinawatra comes from a wealthy dynasty synonymous with Thai politics.

Her father Thaksin Shinawatra – a former Manchester City owner – and aunt Yingluck Shinawatra served as prime minister before her – in the early to mid 2000s – and their time in office also ended ignominiously amid corruption charges and military coups.

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Benjamin Netanyahu to meet Donald Trump next week amid calls for Gaza ceasefire

Published

19 hours ago

July 1, 2025

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Benjamin Netanyahu to meet Donald Trump next week amid calls for Gaza ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be meeting Donald Trump next Monday, according to US officials.

The visit on 7 July comes after Mr Trump suggested it was possible a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached within a week.

On Sunday, he wrote on social media: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”

At least 60 people killed across Gaza on Monday, in what turned out to be some of the heaviest attacks in weeks.

According to the Hamas-run health ministry, 56,500 people have been killed in the 20-month war.

The visit by Mr Netanyahu to Washington has not been formally announced and the officials who said it would be going ahead spoke on condition of anonymity.

An Israeli official in Washington also confirmed the meeting next Monday.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was in constant communication with the Israeli government.

She said Mr Trump viewed ending the war in Gaza and returning remaining hostages held by Hamas as a top priority.

The war in Gaza broke out in retaliation for Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw a further 250 taken hostage.

An eight-week ceasefire was reached in the final days of Joe Biden’s US presidency, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on next steps.

Talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled over whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire.