MANILA: The territorial dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea remained a security challenge despite an improvement in bilateral ties, the Philippine defence chief said on Monday (Mar 26) as he accepted three maritime surveillance planes from Japan. Delfin Lorenzana, in a speech at a naval base south of
MANILA: The territorial dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea remained a security challenge despite an improvement in bilateral ties, the Philippine defence chief said on Monday (Mar 26) as he accepted three maritime surveillance planes from Japan.
Delfin Lorenzana, in a speech at a naval base south of the capital Manila, said the three Japanese donated second-hand TC90 planes will definitely boost the navy’s capability to gather intelligence in the disputed South China Sea.
« We must admit that much still has to be done to boost our military capability equipment in order to meet a number of persistent maritime security challenges, » Lorenzana said, identifying territorial disputes with China, and other countries, over resource-rich areas in the South China Sea.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, where about US$5 trillion worth of sea-borne goods pass every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have conflicting claims in the strategic waterway.
