Philippines deploys air force jet over Chinese ships

[Boats]

Philippines deploys air force jet over Chinese ships
By: France 24 News - 03-28-21
Re: https://www.france24.com/en/live-new...-chinese-ships

Satelitte Image taken on the 23rd of March:
Re: https://s.france24.com/media/display...e59448eb6.webp
This satellite imagery taken on March 23 shows Chinese vessels anchored at the Whitsun Reef Handout Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies/AFP

Manila (AFP):

A Philippine air force jet is conducting daily patrols over Chinese fishing vessels parked near a disputed reef, the defence chief said, as Beijing refuses to pull the ships out of the area.

Around 220 boats were first spotted earlier this month at the boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef around 320 kilometres (175 nautical miles) west of Palawan Island, sparking a diplomatic row.

Manila has ordered Beijing to recall the vessels, describing their presence as an incursion into its sovereign territory.

But China, which claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, says the flotilla is made up of fishing vessels sheltering from bad weather.

The Philippine foreign ministry has filed a diplomatic protest, and several countries, including the United States and Australia, have expressed concern over the renewed tension in the region.

Philippine navy and coast guard ships have been deployed to the area to monitor the situation, in addition to the aerial patrols, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said late Saturday.

"We are ready to defend our national sovereignty and protect the marine resources of the Philippines," Lorenzana said, repeating a call for the Chinese ships to withdraw.

He added there will be an "increased presence" of navy and coast guard ships patrolling Philippine waters.

The resource-rich South China Sea is contested by several countries, including the Philippines and China.

Beijing often invokes the so-called nine-dash line to justify its apparent historic rights over most of it, and has ignored a 2016 international tribunal decision that declared this assertion as without basis.

President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed concern over the presence of the vessels to the Chinese ambassador in Manila, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Thursday.

Duterte has fostered warmer ties with Beijing since taking office in 2016 in exchange for greater economic cooperation with its superpower neighbor.

But the shift has failed to stem Chinese ambitions in the South China Sea, or unlock much of the billions of dollars of promised trade and loans.

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Note: Movements are also be made by Russian ground troops as well into Ukraine.
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Large convoy of Russian military equipment enters Donbas 3-28-21?
Re: http://uawire.org/russia-sends-large...ment-to-donbas

Photo link: https://uawmedia.uawire.org/media/De...48201020000000

A large convoy military equipment entered the Donbas from Russia, reported the separatist Telegram channel "Chetkiy Luhansk",

According to the channel, the convoy entered the Donbas on the night of March 28 through Gukovo border crossing on the stretch of the border which is not controlled by Ukraine.

“A convoy of mixed military equipment arrived last night from the side of Gukovo. Russia's assistance to the Army of the Republic! New BMP, MT-LB, APC and a lot of wheeled equipment,185 units in total. But the most important thing is that Russia has finally provided the Army of the Republic with 4 152-millimeter self-propelled guns Koalitsiya-SV which have another name, Bastion. This is the most powerful self-propelled gun on the KamAz chassis. Ukry [Ukrainians] will soon feel the power of Koalitsiya,” the channel wrote.
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1 of 2 photo's:
a. https://t.me/Chetki_Lugansk/917?single
b. https://t.me/Chetki_Lugansk/918?single

Koalitsiya is 152 mm artillery systems capable of striking at a distance of 80 km.

Koalitsiya was first presented only in 2015 at a military parade in Moscow. In December 2019, it was reported that the first batch of these artillery systems was sent to the Russian troops for experimental tests.

Donbas, Russia, Ukraine

Note: Locals aren't happy with this military maneuver into Ukraine.

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Personal note:
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It seems troop movements are happening all over certain areas. NK - China and now - Russia all moving personnel outside of their countries.
Something is afoot here as Holmes would say. Russia has also a has a $20B lawsuit against Ukraine for "water blockade of Crimea'
(I hadn't heard that before).
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Late note: Russian Ambassador: Said any political relations between Moscow and London are 'virtually dead'
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Russia sends out to sea all Black Sea fleet submarines?
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Boats