US warns it will defend Philippines after Chinese vessels incidents

[LittleLebowski]

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/y...els-incidents/

The United States renewed a warning Monday that it would defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack under a 1951 treaty, after Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels off a contested shoal in the South China Sea.
Philippine diplomats summoned a Chinese Embassy official in Manila on Monday for a strongly worded protest following Sunday’s collisions off Second Thomas Shoal. No injuries were reported but the encounters damaged a Philippine coast guard ship and a wooden-hulled supply boat operated by navy personnel, officials said.

[Spartan1980]

Note to Biden: Shots across a bow is a warning. Anything less is just words.

[CleverNickname]

I'm pretty sure we could find a surplus something-or-other to donate to the Philippines to replace the LST rustbucket that they parked on the shoal in 1999. Pissing off the Chinese would be worth it.

[Caballoflaco]

Chinese CoastGuard ships come with rams.

[CraigS]

Jeez, are we going to defend every dang country on the planet from every other country? Heck we have already given away some too large % of our munitions stockpiles that I worry about defending ourselves. All these munitions that we gave away will probably cost at least double the original price to buy more to resupply our stockpiles.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Yeah, we should have let Japan have the Philippines, negotiated to get our Bataan hostages back and apologize to the Filipinos for fighting their insurrection when they tried to assert their independence after the Spanish American War.

Actually, this is a touch sarcastic as a case could have been made been for letting them be free. My reading off the Spanish American War was that after the naval battles there, a German fleet looked like it might move in, so we claimed position to short circuit that. If we didn't and Germany took them, they would have lost them to Japan in WW I.

Basically, do we want the South China sea area and associated countries to move to vassal status of China as was the case before what the Chinese called the Century of Humiliation. Great minds than I will decide that - Trump or Biden - now crying into my keyboard.

[joshs]

Jeez, are we going to defend every dang country on the planet from every other country? Heck we have already given away some too large % of our munitions stockpiles that I worry about defending ourselves. All these munitions that we gave away will probably cost at least double the original price to buy more to resupply our stockpiles.

We have a mutual-defense treaty with the Philippines. If we fail to honor our treaty obligations, that would substantially hinder our efforts to limit CCP influence in the world.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Exactly, unfortunately and as an aside, one of the fan favorite presidential candidates wants to pull us out of our treaties across the world. Also, not to support Ukraine - seems the new Speaker is in to that, or so I read.

It's 1938 and the Isolationists are in the rise again.

[TiroFijo]

Jeez, are we going to defend every dang country on the planet from every other country? Heck we have already given away some too large % of our munitions stockpiles that I worry about defending ourselves. All these munitions that we gave away will probably cost at least double the original price to buy more to resupply our stockpiles.

I'm sure all the US bases around the south china sea are just a diplomatic gesture of good will...

You are not defending any dang country nilly willy, Craig.

It is called "US interests".

[TAZ]

So. How’s that saying go. Hard times creates hard men. Hard men created good times. Good times create soft men. Wonder if there is something applicable for leadership. Strong leaders create stable times and weak leaders create scary times??? Wonder where the US is on either spectrum??