US aircraft carrier makes Philippines port call
The Nimitz-class vessel's port call came the same day that China's first domestically produced aircraft carrier, the Shandong, sailed into Hong Kong.
Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes, despite an international ruling its assertion has no merit.
'The US Navy along with our allies and partners are committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific,' the ship's spokesman, Lieutenant-Commander Mark Langford, told AFP by email, without offering further details about the visit.
'These operations demonstrate the commitment to stability in the region, a commitment we uphold throughout the year and regardless of current events,' Langford said, calling the Philippines a 'long-standing and critical ally'.
Manila and Washington have deepened their cooperation since President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022 and began pushing back on Beijing's South China Sea claims.
Bound by a 1951 mutual defence treaty, the two allies conduct frequent maritime exercises in the South China Sea. The Philippine and US coast guards in May conducted their first-ever joint military drills in the archipelago nation's coastal waters.
The Shandong, which sailed off the northern Philippines in April, arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday after concluding combat drills in the western Pacific alongside fellow Chinese aircraft carrier the Liaoning.
The US Department of Defense said in a December report that China numerically has the largest navy in the world, with a battle force of more than 370 ships and submarines. – AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Peace with Kurds to gain momentum as PKK starts laying down arms: Erdogan
ISTANBUL: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that peace efforts with Kurds would gain momentum after PKK militants begin laying down their weapons. His remarks came ahead of a planned ceremony by the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan to begin destroying its weapons, which the group said could happen between July 10 and 12. 'The process will gain a little more speed when the terrorist organisation starts to implement its decision to lay down arms,' he told journalists on his way back from an economic summit in Azerbaijan in remarks reported Saturday by Anadolu state news agency. The PKK declared an end to its armed campaign in May -- a conflict that has claimed more than 40,000 lives since 1984 and long strained Turkey's relations with its Kurdish population and regional neighbours. 'As a gesture of goodwill, a number of PKK fighters, who had taken part in fighting Turkish forces in recent years, will destroy or burn their weapons in a ceremony,' a PKK commander told AFP on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity. But the group has accused Ankara of dragging its feet in reciprocating, with one of its founders Mustafa Karasu saying the government 'has not taken the needed steps', pointing to ongoing strikes on PKK positions in northern Irak and the failure to improve the conditions of PKK's founder Abdullah Ocalan who has been serving life on a prison island near Istanbul and who led the call to disarm.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Gaza civil defence says 32 killed in Israeli operations
GAZA CITY: Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli military operations killed 32 people across the war-battered territory on Saturday, the latest deaths in nearly 21 months of war. Israel has recently expanded its military operations in the Gaza Strip, where the war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the Palestinian territory's population of more than two million. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said Saturday's dead included eight people killed in two strikes on schools in Gaza City. Many Gazans have sought shelter in schools and other public buildings since the war began with Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel. Bassal also reported that eight people were killed by Israeli fire near an aid distribution centre in southern Gaza. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific attacks without precise coordinates. The latest strikes came hours after Hamas said it was ready to start talks 'immediately' on a US-sponsored proposal for a Gaza ceasefire. An Israeli official told AFP that 'no decision has been made yet' when asked about Hamas's positive response to the latest ceasefire proposal. It came ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's departure for talks on Monday in Washington, where US President Donald Trump has intensified calls for an end to the war. Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Out of 251 hostages seized during the attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed more than 57,000 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Hamas says ready to start Gaza ceasefire talks 'immediately'
GAZA CITY: Israel was mulling its response on Saturday after Hamas said it was ready to start talks 'immediately' on a US-sponsored proposal for a Gaza ceasefire. The security cabinet was expected to meet after the end of the Jewish sabbath at sundown to discuss Israel's next steps as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to leave for Washington for talks on Monday with US President Donald Trump. Trump has been making a renewed push for an end to nearly 21 months of war in Gaza, where the civil defence agency said 32 people were killed in Israeli military operations on Saturday. 'No decision has been made yet on that issue,' an Israeli government official told AFP when asked about Hamas's positive response to the latest ceasefire proposal. Hamas made its announcement late Friday after holding consultations with other Palestinian factions. 'The movement is ready to engage immediately and seriously in a cycle of negotiations on the mechanism to put in place' the terms of the US-backed truce proposal, the militant group said in a statement. Hamas ally Islamic Jihad said it supported ceasefire talks, but demanded 'guarantees' that Israel 'will not resume its aggression' once hostages held in Gaza are freed. Trump, when asked about Hamas's response aboard Air Force One, said: 'That's good. They haven't briefed me on it. We have to get it over with. We have to do something about Gaza.' The war in Gaza began with Hamas's October 2023 attack, which sparked a massive Israeli offensive aimed at destroying Hamas and bringing home all the hostages seized by Palestinian militants. Two previous ceasefires mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have seen temporary halts in fighting, coupled with the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. 60-day truce proposal Efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel's rejection of Hamas's demand for guarantees that any new ceasefire will be lasting. A Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations told AFP earlier this week that the latest proposal included 'a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip' -- thought to number 22 -- 'in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees'. Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations. A US- and Israel-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, took the lead in food distributions in the territory in late May when Israel eased a more than two month blockade on aid deliveries. The group said two of its US staff were wounded in an 'attack' on one of its aid centres in southern Gaza on Saturday. 'This morning, two American aid workers were injured in a targeted terrorist attack during food distribution activities at SDS-3 in Khan Yunis,' the organisation said, adding that reports indicated it was carried out by 'two assailants who threw two grenades at the Americans'. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. Its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and near-daily reports of Israeli fire on people waiting to collect rations. UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said Friday that more than 500 people have been killed waiting to access food from GHF distribution points. GHF's chairman Johnnie Moore, a Christian evangelical leader allied to Trump, on Wednesday rejected calls for the lead role in Gaza aid distributions to revert to UN agencies. 'We will not be shut down. We have one job to do. It's very simple, every day to provide free food to the people of Gaza,' he told reporters. Civil defence says schools hit Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said Israeli military operations killed 32 people across the war-battered territory on Saturday. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency. Bassal said Saturday's dead included eight people killed in two strikes on schools in Gaza City. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific strikes without precise coordinates. The Hamas attack of October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,268 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.
