<header class="node-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: -6px 0px 45px; font-family: SelaneWebSTTwenty, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h1 class="headline node-title" itemprop="headline" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 42px; margin: 20px 0px -8px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 46px; color: inherit; padding: 0px;">Philippines to beef up naval presence in disputed South China Sea</h1></header><div class="media-group fadecount0" itemprop="image" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: -80px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 40px; font-family: Curator, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 14px; width: 860px !important;"><div class="media-entity" rel="" resource="https://static.straitstimes.com.sg/s3fs-public/articles/2021/02/10/af_phnavy_100221.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="ds-1col file file-image file-image-jpeg view-mode-image_with_captions clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><figure itemprop="image" class="group-image-frame field-group-html-element" style="box-sizing: border-box; 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border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: block; max-width: 100%; height: initial; width: 860px;"></picture><figcaption class="group-image-caption field-group-html-element" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 17px; padding: 10px 10px 0px; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); margin-bottom: -3px;"><span class="caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-right: 3px;">The move comes after the Philippines protested a new law in China that allows its coastguard to board or open fire on foreign vessels in waters it regards as its territory.</span><span class="caption-credit" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(150, 150, 150); font-size: 11px;">PHOTO: REUTERS</span></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><div class="group-story-timestamp field-group-html-element" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; font-family: Curator, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; text-transform: uppercase; color: rgb(97, 97, 97); margin: 0px; border-top: 1px solid rgba(5, 5, 5, 0.3); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="required-fields group-updated-timestamp field-group-html-element" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 420px; position: absolute;"><ul class="group-update-list field-group-html-element" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li class="story-postdate" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; margin-right: 0.75em; padding-top: 10px; position: absolute;"><div class="label-inline" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; margin-right: 0.5em;">PUBLISHED</div>10 HOURS AGO</li></ul></div><div class="field field-name-social-media-buttons field-type-ds field-label-hidden" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; padding-right: 20px;"><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="field-item even" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="a2a-buttons a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 a2a_default_style" data-a2a-title="Philippines to beef up naval presence in disputed South China Sea" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin: 10px 0px; font-family: Curator; text-align: center;"><a class="a2abtn a2a_button_facebook a2a_counter" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(18, 35, 154); width: 30px; max-width: 30px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 14px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; height: 30px; position: relative;"></a> <a class="a2abtn a2a_button_twitter a2a_counter" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(18, 35, 154); width: 30px; max-width: 30px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 14px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; height: 30px; position: relative;"></a> <span role="presentation" class="a2abtn a2abtn-more dropdown" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; width: 30px; max-width: 30px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px -27px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; height: 30px;"><a class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/philippines-to-deploy-more-navy-to-protect-its-fishermen-in-south-china-sea#" role="button" aria-expanded="false" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(18, 35, 154); cursor: pointer; display: block; width: 30px; height: 30px; left: 0px; top: 0px; position: absolute;"></a></span></div><div class="st-gamification" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"></div><div class="st-gamification" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="group-ob-readmore" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: SelaneWebSTTwenty, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="field-name-body-linked field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 20px; line-height: 27px; font-family: SelaneText, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; border-top: 0px; margin-top: 50px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div class="field-items" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-top: 0px; padding-top: 0.643em;"><div class="odd field-item" itemprop="articleBody" property="content:encoded" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; line-height: 27px;">MANILA (REUTERS) - The Philippines will <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/philippines-building-up-fleet-in-south-china-sea-to-counter-chinese" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(18, 35, 154);">beef up its naval presence in the South China Sea</a> to protect its fishermen, its new military chief said, as concerns grow about the operations of China's coastguard in disputed waters.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; line-height: 27px;">The move comes after the Philippines protested a new law in China that allows its coastguard to board or open fire on foreign vessels in waters it regards as its territory, which officials said could heighten risks of a miscalculation.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; line-height: 27px;">"We will increase our visibility through the deployment of more naval assets, but I just want to make clear our navy presence there is not (to) wage war against China but to secure our own people," Lieutenant-General Cirilito Sobejana said in a media briefing on Tuesday (Feb 9).</p><div class="ads clearleft" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: left !important; background-color: transparent; text-align: center; padding: 30px 0px 50px;"><div id="dfp-ad-imu1-wrapper" class="dfp-tag-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; position: relative;"><div id="dfp-ad-imu1" class="dfp-tag-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; position: relative;"></div></div></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; line-height: 27px;">China claims about 90 per cent of the South China Sea as its own and <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/new-photos-show-china-is-nearly-done-with-its-militarisation-of-south-china-sea" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(18, 35, 154);">deploys its coastguard throughout the strategically important waterway.</a> Those are often accompanied by large numbers of fishing boats seen widely as a Chinese maritime militia, which other claimants accuse of harassing their fishermen.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; line-height: 27px;">"That pronouncement by China that their coastguard can open fire at people intruding into their territory is very alarming," Lt-Gen Sobejana said.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; line-height: 27px;">"It's a very irresponsible statement because our people are not going to the disputed area to go to war but to earn a living."</p><div id="innity-in-post" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div id="dfp-ad-midarticlespecial-wrapper" class="dfp-tag-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; position: relative;"><div id="dfp-ad-midarticlespecial" class="dfp-tag-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; position: relative; margin-bottom: 40px; padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"></div></div></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; line-height: 27px;">China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the general's remarks.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; line-height: 27px;">The Philippines, however, has very limited naval capabilities compared with China's fleet of navy and coastguard.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; line-height: 27px;">US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month stressed <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/philippines-says-to-meet-us-to-iron-out-differences-on-troop-deal" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(18, 35, 154);">the importance of a defence pact with Manila</a> and its clear application if the Philippines came under attack.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; line-height: 27px;">The United States has held regular patrols in disputed areas of the South China Sea to underline its presence in the region, <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/us-navy-says-two-carrier-groups-conduct-joint-operations-in-south-china-sea" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(18, 35, 154);">the latest on Tuesday,</a> when two US carrier groups conducted joint exercises.</p></div></div></div></div><p><br></p>
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