Manila Warns China Over Sierra Madre as Liaoning Heads South
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Friday that any use of force against the grounded BRP Sierra Madre would be an “act of war” against the Philippines, though not a “state of war,” which only Congress can declare, The Philippine Star reported. He was responding to a Chinese Commercial News report that Beijing was weighing ten countermeasures; the paper said Chinese authorities had not confirmed them.
Defense News reported that China’s carrier Liaoning, which Xinhua describes as on routine training “not directed at any specific country,” was heading toward the South China Sea after exercises near Japan’s southern islands. Japan’s defense ministry said it saw fighters operating about 250 km south of Ishigaki.
Kyodo News reported that Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is arranging a possible meeting with U.S. counterpart Pete Hegseth next week at an ASEAN defense gathering in Cebu, the Philippines.
None of the three reports describes a direct clash between forces.