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Timeline: Rift deepens between the Philippines, China over South China Sea

Timeline: Rift deepens between the Philippines, China over South China Sea

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Timeline: Rift deepens between the Philippines, China over South China Sea

Relations between Manila and Beijing have soured under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with Manila pivoting back towards the United States which supports the Southeast Asian nation in its maritime disputes with China.

Here is a timeline of key events in 2023 that have escalated tensions between the Philippines and China:

JAN 3-5 – Marcos holds three-day visit to Beijing where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agree to set up direct communications between their foreign ministries on the South China Sea.

FEB 2 – The Philippines grants the United States greater access to four more military bases under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

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FEB 13-14 – The Philippines accuses China’s coastguard of directing a “military-grade laser” at its troops living aboard an aging warship that Manila deliberately grounded on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in 1999. Marcos summons China’s ambassador.

MARCH 4 – The Philippines spots a Chinese navy ship and 42 vessels believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel in the vicinity of Thitu island, Manila’s biggest and most strategically important outpost in the South China Sea.

APRIL 3 – The Philippines reveals the locations of the four additional bases that Washington can use under EDCA. Three face north towards Taiwan and one is near the disputed Spratly Islands.

APRIL 11 – More than 17,000 Filipino and US soldiers begin their largest ever joint military drills in the Philippines.

APRIL 22 – Marcos and his foreign secretary meet China’s then-foreign minister Qin Gang in Manila, pledging to work together to resolve maritime differences.

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MAY 1 – US President Joe Biden welcomes Marcos at the White House, the first visit by a Philippine leader in 10 years. They express “unwavering commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea”.

MAY 3 – The United States and the Philippines agree on new guidelines for their 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which specifically mention that mutual defence commitments would be invoked in an armed attack on either country “anywhere in the South China Sea”.

JUNE 6 – The coast guards of the United States, Japan and the Philippines hold trilateral exercises in the South China Sea, the first such manoeuvres.

JULY 7 – The Philippine military reports an “alarming” increase in the number of Chinese fishing vessels in disputed waters.

AUG 5 – The Philippines accuses China’s coast guard of blocking and firing a water cannon against a supply boat transporting food for troops on the Second Thomas Shoal, known in China as Renai Reef and in Manila as Ayungin Shoal.

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AUG 7 – China’s coast guard urges the Philippines to remove a grounded warship from the Second Thomas Shoal.

SEPT 24-25 – The Philippines accuses China’s coast guard of installing a “floating barrier” near the Scarborough Shoal, and removes the object.

OCT 16 – The Philippine military says a Chinese navy ship shadowed and attempted to cut off a Philippine navy vessel conducting a resupply mission near Thitu island.

OCT 22-24 – The Philippines accuses Chinese coastguard vessels of intentionally colliding with its vessels routinely supplying forces stationed at the Second Thomas Shoal. No one was harmed.

NOV 16 – The Philippines calls on China to remove all “illegal structures” built within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), cease reclamation in those areas and be accountable for the damage the activities caused.

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NOV 21 – The militaries of the Philippines and the United States launch joint patrols from waters near Taiwan to the South China Sea.

NOV 25 – The Philippines and Australia begin their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea.

DEC 3 – The Philippines monitors what it calls the “illegal presence” of more than 135 Chinese maritime militia vessels in the vicinity of Whitsun Reef, which Manila calls the Julian Felipe Reef.

DEC 9-10 – The Philippines accuses China of firing water cannons at its boats, including one carrying its military chief, and ramming others, causing serious engine damage. China’s coast guard says the Philippine vessel intentionally rammed its ship.

DEC 11 – The Philippines calls the actions of Chinese vessels a “serious escalation”.

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DEC 19 – Marcos says a “paradigm shift” is needed in how his country approaches the South China Sea, as diplomatic efforts with Beijing were headed in a “poor direction”.

DEC 21 – China says bilateral relations are at a crossroads and warns the Philippines against “misjudging” the maritime situation. 

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Estonia summons Russian embassy chief over GPS jamming

Estonia summons Russian embassy chief over GPS jamming

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Estonia summons Russian embassy chief over GPS jamming

Estonia’s foreign ministry has summoned the head of the Russian embassy in Tallinn to protest the jamming of GPS signals, the Baltic country said on Wednesday.

Estonia accuses neighbouring Russia of violating international regulations by disturbing GPS navigation in airspace above the Baltic states, echoing concerns from airlines that say they have contended with such interference for months.

The Estonian foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned Russia’s charge d’affaires to convey its message. Moscow and Tallinn last year expelled each other’s ambassadors as relations deteriorated in the wake of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“Jamming the GPS signal is an element of Russia’s hybrid activities, disrupting everyday life and threatening the security of allies,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement.

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Russia’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

GPS, short for Global Positioning System, is a network of satellites and receiving devices used for positioning, navigation and timing on Earth in everything from ships and planes to cars.

The jamming of GPS signals can be disruptive to commercial airliners but they can usually navigate by other means.

Finnish carrier Finnair last month said it would pause all flights to Tartu in Estonia to allow the local airport to upgrade its navigation system, which has so far relied only on GPS.

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Australia boosts funds to Taiwan-ally Tuvalu amid Pacific contest for influence with China

Australia boosts funds to Taiwan-ally Tuvalu amid Pacific contest for influence with China

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Australia boosts funds to Taiwan-ally Tuvalu amid Pacific contest for influence with China

Australia will quadruple its financial assistance to Tuvalu, a Pacific Island nation at risk from rising seas, to cement a landmark climate migration and security deal as China also courts small island states.

On a visit to Tuvalu, foreign minister Penny Wong said on Wednesday evening Australia has committed A$110 million ($72.27 million) in its national budget to Tuvalu.

The sum includes A$50 million ($32.85 million) to build the first undersea cable connecting the island’s residents to global telecommunications services, and A$19 million for a land reclamation project to fortify Tuvalu’s coastline from rising seas.

Another A$15 million will be spent on a national security coordination centre, as well as A$10 million in direct budget support.

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The funding is a significant boost on the A$17 million ($11.17 million) Australia provided to Tuvalu in 2023-24.

China’s ambitions for a greater security presence in the Pacific became an election issue in Tuvalu in January, as two leadership contenders said Tuvalu should consider switching ties from Taiwan to Beijing for more funds, and revise a new security pact with Australia.

Neighbour Nauru cut ties with Taiwan a fortnight before Tuvalu’s vote, after China built a port and promised more aid.

Tuvalu’s new prime minister Feleti Teo pledged to stick with Taiwan, and to ratify the Falepili Union signed with Australia in November. The treaty allows Tuvalu citizens to migrate to Australia for work or study, while recognising Tuvalu continues to exist despite the rising sea levels.

“Australia has provided a security guarantee to support Tuvalu in a humanitarian disaster, a pandemic or the event of attack,” Wong said in a speech on Wednesday evening.

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“It is also the first time in history that two nations have agreed in a legally binding instrument that statehood endures in the face of sea level rise,” she added.

The treaty allows Australia to vet Tuvalu’s deals with third countries in a broad range of security areas from ports to telecommunications.

On Thursday, Wong and Teo are expected to say that the security cooperation does not limit Tuvalu’s ability to enter into diplomatic agreements with other nations, according to an advance copy of a joint statement viewed by Reuters.

“We recognise that the people of Tuvalu deserve the choice to live, study and work elsewhere, as climate change impacts intensify at home,” the text of the statement reads.

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Probe launched after Boeing cargo plane lands in Istanbul without front landing gear

Probe launched after Boeing cargo plane lands in Istanbul without front landing gear

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Probe launched after Boeing cargo plane lands in Istanbul without front landing gear

A FedEx Airlines Boeing cargo plane landed at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday without its front landing gear, a Turkish Transport Ministry official said, adding there were no casualties and authorities had launched an investigation.

The aircraft, flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, informed the control tower in Istanbul that its landing gear had failed to open and touched down with guidance from the tower, managing to remain on the runway, a ministry statement said.

Airport rescue and fire fighting teams were scrambled before landing, but no one was injured. The ministry gave no reason for the failure.

The aircraft involved is a nearly 10-year-old Boeing 767 freighter, one of the most common cargo planes and based on the 767 passenger model dating back to the 1980s.

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An official from Turkey’s transport ministry said its teams were conducting examinations at the scene as part of the ongoing investigation, but did not provide further details.

Boeing referred queries to FedEX, which said in a statement it was coordinating with investigation authorities and would “provide additional information as it is available”.

Video footage obtained by Reuters showed sparks flying and some smoke as the front of the plane scraped along the runway before coming to a halt and being doused with firefighting foam. No fire appeared to have broken out.

The video showed the pilots holding the plane’s nose above the runway for several seconds after the main wheels had touched the ground, apparently executing the emergency drill for landing with a retracted nose gear that pilots train for, according to the SKYbrary aviation database.

In June last year, a small 22-year-old Boeing 717 flown by Delta Airlines made a similar smooth landing without a nose gear in Charlotte, North Carolina, in an incident later blamed on a fractured component.

The runway was temporarily closed to air traffic, but other runways at Istanbul airport were still operating normally, the airport operator IGA said.

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Manufacturers are not typically involved in the operation or maintenance of jets once they enter service, but Boeing has been under intense media and regulatory scrutiny following a series of incidents on its smaller 737.

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