Chinese actions in the South China Sea, including the deployment of a large vessel near the Philippines, are prompting the US to increase its attention to the region, according to President-elect Trump's nominee for secretary of state, Sen. Marco Rubio. Rubio highlighted the 'monster ship' incident during his confirmation hearing, emphasizing the threats it poses to Philippine sovereignty and the need for the US to uphold its commitments to both the Philippines and Taiwan.
Sen. Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state, has stated that China 's actions towards the Philippines and Taiwan are compelling the US to focus on the region 'in ways we prefer not to have to.' During his confirmation hearing, Rubio informed US lawmakers about China 's so-called 'monster ship' that has remained in the Philippines ' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for several days.
'There's this massive, I don't even know how to describe it, but this massive ship that the Chinese have built, that's like it's headed to the Philippines and the Philippines feels threatened by it, rightfully so,' Rubio stated. 'We've seen this on a daily basis with the harassment and so forth,' he added. Rubio emphasized the destabilizing nature of these actions, stating that they are 'forcing us to take counter-actions because we have commitments to the Philippines and we have commitments to Taiwan that we intend to keep.'He urged China to cease its actions concerning Taiwan and the Philippines, as they are 'forcing us to focus our attention in ways we prefer not to have to.' The Philippine Coast Guard has been monitoring the massive Chinese ship near Zambales for almost two weeks. On Wednesday, the PCG and the China Coast Guard engaged in radio challenges as both asserted their sovereignty in the disputed waters. Amidst this continuing presence, several Philippine Navy ships conducted a unilateral exercise at Bajo de Masinloc on Friday. The drill aimed to enhance the Navy's proficiency in utilizing modern equipment and facilities, including the BRP Antonio Luna and Del Pilar-class patrol vessels BRP Ramon Alcaraz and BRP Andres Bonifacio.
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