MANILA :Some say the Phillippines
is to china as a minnow is to a shark,
The South east Asian country has
minimal military muscle ,yet it is locked
in a territorial dispute with Beijing over
the Spratly Islands in the South China
Sea..To shore up its position,Manila is
increasing cooperation with Washinton
and Tokyo.
On June 23,a Japan Maritime Self-Defense
Force P-3C patrol plane flew in skies
not far from the Spratlys ,where China has
been conducting massive land reclamation
work around reefs.
The aircraft ,known for its surveillance
and submarine -spotting capabilities,
was taking part in the first joint drill
between the MSDF and the Philippine
Navy,
It flew out of the Philippines' western
Palawan and patrolled a swath of water
about 150km away from the disputed
Island
Since US forces left the Philippines in 1992
the country has lacked sufficient funds for
defense ,partly due to periods of economic
stagnation and political turmoil,When China
declared an air defense identification zone
over the East China Sea in 2013
and there was speculation it might do the same
over the South China Sea ,It was revealed
that the Philippines would be unable to
scramble aircraft in an emergency'
It appears this weakness has only emboldened
China to push ahead with land reclamation
DATLY EXPRESS
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