Monday, April 12, 2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 12 , 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Delfin Negrillo Lorenzana (born October 28, 1948) is a retired Philippine Army general serving as the Secretary of National Defense in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte.[1] He served in the Philippine Army from 1973 to 2004.

US backs Philippines in standoff over South China Sea
United States is backing the Philippines in a new standoff with Beijing in the South China Sea, where Manila has asked a Chinese fishing flotilla to leave a reef

Apr. 12 - The United States said Tuesday it’s backing the Philippines in a new standoff with Beijing in the disputed South China Sea, where Manila has asked a Chinese fishing flotilla to leave a reef. China ignored the call, insisting it owns the offshore territory.

The U.S. Embassy said it shared the concerns of the Philippines and accused China of using “maritime militia to intimidate, provoke, and threaten other nations, which undermines peace and security in the region.”

“We stand with the Philippines, our oldest treaty ally in Asia,” the U.S. Embassy in Manila said in a statement.


Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Sunday demanded about 200 Chinese vessels he said were militia boats leave the Whitsun Reef, a shallow coral region about 175 nautical miles (324 kilometers) west of Bataraza town in the western Philippine province of Palawan.

Philippine officials said the reef, which they call Julian Felipe, is well within the country’s internationally recognized exclusive economic zone, over which the Philippines “enjoys the exclusive right to exploit or conserve any resources.”
The Philippine coast guard spotted about 220 Chinese vessels moored at the reef, which Beijing and Vietnam also claim, on March 7.

On Monday, a surveillance aircraft spotted 183 Chinese vessels still at the reef, said Philippine military chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, who released aerial pictures of the Chinese vessels in one of the most hotly contested regions in the strategic waterway.     more
美使离间计再搅南海 别有用心 20210410 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Apr 11, 2021


In this photo provided by the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea, Chinese vessels are moored at Whitsun Reef, South China Sea on March 27, 2021. The Philippine government said Wednesday, March 31, that more than 250 Chinese vessels it believes are operated by militia have been spotted near six Manila-claimed islands and reefs in the disputed South China Sea and demanded that China immediately remove them.

US-Philippines officials discuss concerns over China’s ships


Apr. 12 - ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday discussed with his Philippine counterpart China’s recent positioning of “militia vessels” near the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Austin spoke by phone with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana while Austin was flying from Washington to Israel to begin an international trip.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Austin and Lorenzana discussed the situation in the South China Sea and the recent massing of Chinese vessels at Whitsun Reef, which has drawn criticism from Manila.

China has said its vessels are there for fishing.

In their phone call, Austin proposed to Lorenzana several measures to deepen defense cooperation, including by “enhancing situational awareness of threats in the South China Sea,” Kirby said. He did not elaborate.
Kirby said earlier this week that the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group, as well as the amphibious ship USS Makin Island, are operating in the South China Sea.

The U.S. has no military forces based permanently in the Philippines but sometimes rotates forces to the country under the U.S.-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement.

The recent gathering of Chinese vessels near the Philippines is among moves the United States has criticized as efforts by Beijing to intimidate smaller nations in the region.     source from


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A resident shops in Manila.
Philippines Eases Movement Curbs in Manila Region, Surrounds

Apr. 12 - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte relaxed a lockdown in the Manila region and four neighboring provinces, as hospitals added capacity for patients infected by the coronavirus.

The national capital region and Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite provinces will be placed under so-called modified enhanced community quarantine until the end of April, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Sunday. Hospitals have added 3,156 beds for Covid-19 patients, he said.

The area -- the nation’s economic engines -- were placed under the most-stringent enhanced community quarantine for two weeks through April 11, as a record surge in infections filled hospitals.

Read more: Worst Covid Surge in Southeast Asia Hammers Philippine Hospitals
Under loosened restrictions, most people are still required to stay home but more businesses will be allowed to operate while limits on those that have remained open will be eased, according to previous government guidelines. A nighttime curfew will be shortened.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index erased earlier gains Monday, and was down 0.1% as of 12:10 p.m. in Manila.    more

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