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Officials: the Philippines Expanding South China Sea Patrols Near Disputed Reef
April 13, 2021 2:10 PM
Republic of the Philippines Navy ship BRP Jose Rizal (FF 150) steams in a multinational formation during a photo exercise off the coast of Hawaii during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise on Aug. 21, 2020. US Navy Photo
MANILA – The Philippines has sent additional ships on Tuesday to its maritime territory that is subject to China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, officials announced on Tuesday.
The Task Force-West under the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea deployed another Coast Guard cutter, four Navy ships and two other vessels from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to the South China Sea and Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), where Whitsun Reef is located, for maritime patrol.
In February, the Cambodian government suspended a planned joint military exercise with China, citing the need to cut
spending in order to allocate more resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the government’s explanation is less than convincing and likely has more to do with the country’s foreign policy, particularly its broken relationship with the United States.
Hun Sen may be using the decision to test the waters with the new administration in the US to see how President Joe Biden’s government views the development and if closer relations are possible.
If this is the case, then Cambodia will have
How Vietnam’s communist party chief earned a surprise third term at this year’s National Congress.
By
March 05, 2021
Newly re-elected Vietnamese Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, center, leaves after a press conference at the closing ceremony of after the Party’s 13th National Congress in Hanoi, Feb. 1, 2021.
Credit: AP Photo/Minh Hoang
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This article is the second in a two-part series. Part 1 is available here.
When Nguyen Phu Trong assumed Vietnam’s presidency following the death of President Tran Dai Quang in September 2018, he became the first Vietnamese leader since the 1980s to hold two of the country’s four senior leadership posts.
The Rise and Rise of Nguyen Phu Trong thediplomat.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thediplomat.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
After Congress, Vietnam should put the wind in its sails
By Viet Anh February 4, 2021 | 11:31 am GMT+7
Vehicles drive past the Hanoi Ceramic Mosaic Mural, which was opened in 2010 to mark the city s 1,000th anniversary, June 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh.
Smooth transition, economic stimulus, stronger strategic partnerships and deeper international engagement should be high on Vietnam’s post Party Congress agenda, experts say.
Vietnam is in pole position for implementing this agenda at a fast clip, they add.
On February 1, the 13th Party Congress closed in Hanoi. The Communist Party Central Committee elected Nguyen Phu Trong, 77, for his third five-year term as Party chief.