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The Philippines summoned a Chinese Embassy official to protest the "harassment of Philippine vessels" as tensions flare up in the South China Sea.
he Philippines on Thursday summoned a senior Chinese diplomat over Beijing's use of water cannon against Filipino vessels at a contested shoal in the South China Sea. "The Philippines protested the harassment, ramming, swarming, shadowing and blocking, dangerous manoeuvres, use of water cannons, and other aggressive actions of China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia vessels against" Filipino government vessels, the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The Foreign Ministry said that the deputy chief of the Chinese Embassy, Zhou Zhiyong, was summoned to hear Manila's 20th protest against Beijing this year, one of 153 under the current administration. On Tuesday, the Philippines said the Chinese coast guard used water cannons and damaged two vessels that were on their way to the Scarborough Shoal to assist Filipino fishermen. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told the media on Tuesday that the Chinese Coast Guard took "necessary measures" against Philippine vessels that infringed on Beijing's territory. These measures were "in accordance with the law, and the way it handled the situation was professional," Lin said, according to transcripts released by the Chinese mission in Manila. The China-controlled Scarborough Shoal has long been a potential flashpoint in the South China Sea. Friction has increased recently as the Philippines takes a more assertive approach in disputed areas while bolstering alliances with the United States and Japan. China claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Many countries in South and Southeast Asia have been experiencing extreme heat for days. 45 degrees were measured in Thailand, Myanmar and India and in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, the perceived temperature also reached that height. The end of the heat wave does not yet appear in sight, which is why schools in the Philippines will remain closed for the next two days. In Thailand, where the heat has already claimed 30 lives this year, authorities are warning of "serious conditions". In the north of the country, a temperature of 45 degrees was measured for the first time in history last week. It is also well above 40 degrees in Cambodia, Myanmar and Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, schools were closed for a number of days due to the heat, but they will reopen tomorrow. The heat is expected to last for a few more days. Cooler temperatures are expected in the region again in the coming month. Fewer Indians go to the polls The heat also appears to have affected the first round of voting in India's national elections, which was held last week. Turnout in the world's largest democracy was remarkably low: 4 percentage points lower compared to the first election phase in 2019. That is almost 8 million people. According to scientists from the international research group World Weather Attribution (WWA), extreme heat waves on the South Asian subcontinent will become thirty times more likely in the future due to climate change. The Dutch may also notice something from the heat wave here, but in their wallets. Due to previous droughts and other weather extremes, part of the rice harvests failed last year in Indonesia, Thailand and India. Because those countries account for a large part of global rice products, prices for rice rose worldwide. There is also the fear that the harvest of various products will be affected by the heat wave, as a result of which the prices of those products will rise in many places in the world
Ten monthly records in a row 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded worldwide and experts say there is a good chance that that record will only stay in the books for one year. Since June last year, every month has been warmer than ever measured, good for ten monthly records in a row. In addition to climate change, the high temperatures are also caused by the weather phenomenon El Niño. This occurs when the surface temperature of the water in the Pacific Ocean around the equator is warmer than average. In the tropics this can lead to extreme weather. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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At the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s regular news conference on April 3, spokesperson Wang Wenbin commented on rising tensions between the Philippines and China, saying: “The Philippines keeps accusing China of ‘intimidating smaller countries’ without mentioning at all the Philippine occupation and encroachment on China’s territory in Nansha Qundao. That is a real propaganda ‘trap.’ The Ren’ai Jiao issue is not a case of the big bullying small but unfulfilled promises and deliberate provocations …” The comment came amid growing tension between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. He added, “The Philippines has been pursuing selfish gains at the expense of the consensus reached by countries in the region. This is the main reason why the situation in the South China Sea has escalated and become more complicated.” That is false. First, it is worth noting the instances documented by the Philippine coast guard and independent media of China’s gray zone activities and aggressive actions toward Philippine vessels. For instance, on April 4, Jay Tarriela, spokesperson of the Philippine coast guard, reported that China’s coast guard used water cannons to threaten two Filipino fishing ships. China has also used collision and ramming tactics, undersea barriers and a military-grade laser to stop Philippine resupply and patrol missions. In addition, there is no official “promise” between the Philippines and China. China has alluded to a supposed gentleman’s agreement established between China and former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. noted that he was not made aware of such an agreement — it was never written down — and he was “horrified by the idea …” He also issued a statement: “Let us not fall into the trap set by Chinese propaganda of refocusing the debate on a so-called promise, while deflecting attention away from China’s government, thereby freeing and allowing them to continue with their illegal activities.” The deal was semi corroborated by former Philippine presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and further clarified by Duterte himself on April 12. Duterte has stated the agreement was to maintain the “status quo” in the South China Sea but not to limit the Philippines’ sovereignty. Roque similarly noted that the “status quo” did not mean ceding the Philippines’ claims to territory such as the Second Thomas Shoal, which China calls Ren’ai Jiao. The Second Thomas Shoal has been long disputed. In 1999, the Philippines purposefully grounded its naval ship BRP Sierra Madre to affirm that the shoal was Filipino territory. Filipino soldiers still live on Sierra Madre, and tensions have risen over China blocking their resupply missions. Finally, China’s claims to the South China Sea are neither internationally recognized nor recognized by many ASEAN countries. China’s territorial claims, marked on the nine-dash line, extend to about 90% of the South China Sea, violating many of its neighbours' claims to sovereignty, including the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Yet, China continues to ignore the ruling. Furthermore, China’s claims — that the Philippines stoked tensions by bringing in other actors — are also false. The Philippines became closer with the U.S. after a rise in grey zone activities by China. The United States has also tried to engage in a dialogue with China. On April 2, U.S. President Joseph Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping to express concerns over rising tensions and even reportedly discussed visits by the U.S. secretary of state and treasury secretary to China. Despite Biden’s call, China launched a People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, patrol the same day the Philippines, U.S., Japan and Australia held a joint maritime exercise. Notably, the Russian Foreign Ministry attempted to capitalize on this situation with false claims that the current dispute is the fault of Western “expansion.”
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