Coast guard and fishery officials from the Philippines, the US, Vietnam and Indonesia practiced vessel boarding and arrest techniques at a joint maritime law enforcement training, the US embassy in Manila said yesterday.
The two-week course on the Philippines’ southern island of Mindanao comes as part of a regional effort to boost law enforcement cooperation as fears of maritime conflict with China grow. There have been frequent clashes or tense standoffs between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the strategic waterway, as well as recent incidents involving Vietnamese and Indonesian vessels.
“Together, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that our maritime sovereignty remains a zone of peace, safety and prosperity for all,” Philippine Coast Guard District Commander Rejard Marfe said in a statement released by the US embassy.
Photo: AFP
Marfe called the training that took place from Jan. 13 to Friday last week “invaluable in ensuring that we are better equipped to address maritime threats,” although the statement made no mention of China.
The training covered safe vessel boarding at sea, maritime law, evidence collection and preservation, safety and risk mitigation and arrest techniques, the statement said.
The Australian Border Force joined the coast guard, customs enforcers and fisheries surveillance officials at the training as observers.
China has stepped up expansion of its naval forces over the past few years as it seeks to extend its reach in the Pacific Ocean and challenge a US-led alliance.
Over the past few months, China has deployed navy and coast guard vessels to bar the Philippines from strategically important reefs and islands in the South China Sea.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
RSS