WASHINGTON: A top US official on Thursday told a Chinese counterpart that Washington’s defense commitments to the Philippines were “ironclad” after a violent clash in the South China Sea.
Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell “raised serious concerns” about Chinese actions in a call with Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, the State Department said.
Campbell “reiterated that US commitments to the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty remain ironclad,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Campbell also called for “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait, in the wake of China’s military drills around the self-governing democracy following the inauguration of President Lai Ching-te, and renewed US concerns about Chinese exports that support Russia’s defense industry.
Chinese coast guard personnel wielding knives, sticks and an ax surrounded and boarded three Filipino navy boats last week, in the most serious of a number of escalating confrontations.
China has been asserting claims in the strategic South China Sea and separately has put pressure on Taiwan, which it considers part of its territory awaiting reunification.
The United States provides weapons to Taiwan but has been deliberately ambiguous on whether it would come to its defense in a Chinese invasion.
By contrast, the United States has a defense treaty with the Philippines that dates to 1951 that says Washington will come to its former colony’s aid in case of an “armed attack.”
The United States has repeatedly stressed its commitments to the treaty without spelling out publicly at which point China has crossed a line.
Despite multiple areas of tensions, President Joe Biden’s administration has worked to expand communication with China to reduce the chance of greater conflict.
Campbell’s call was “part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication” between the two powers and “responsibly manage competition in the relationship,” Miller said.
US tells China that Philippines support ‘ironclad’
https://arab.news/r5tyg
US tells China that Philippines support ‘ironclad’
- US official “raised serious concerns” about Chinese actions against the Philippines in a call with a top Beijing diplomat
- Chinese coast guard boarded three Filipino navy boats last week, in the most serious of a number of escalating confrontation
Left homeless by blaze, Muslims in southernmost Philippines observe Ramadan as month of trial
- Thousands lost their homes when parts of Bongao in Tawi-Tawi were burnt to ashes
- Many trying to fully observe the fasting month say they are grateful to be alive
Manila: As Annalexis Abdulla Dabbang was looking forward to observing the month of Ramadan with her family, just days before it began they lost everything when an enormous fire tore through whole neighborhoods of their city in the southernmost province of the Philippines.
Bongao is the capital of Tawi-Tawi, an island province, forming part of the country’s Muslim minority heartland in the Bangsamoro region. The city experienced its worst fire in years in early February, when flames swept through the coastal community, leaving more than 5,000 people homeless.
“We were swimming for our lives. We had to swim to escape from the fire ... We swam in darkness, and (even) the sea was already hot because of the fire,” Dabbang, a 27-year-old teacher, told Arab News.
“Everything we owned was gone in just a few hours — our home, our memories, the things we worked hard for, everything turned to ashes.”
Trying to save their 2-year-old daughter and themselves, she and her husband left everything behind — as did hundreds of other families that together with them have since taken shelter at the Mindanao State University gymnasium — one of the evacuation centers.
Unable to secure a tent, Dabbang’s family has been sleeping on the bleachers, sharing a single mat as their bed. When Ramadan arrived a few days after they moved to the makeshift shelter, they welcomed it in a different, more solemn way. There is no family privacy for suhoor, no room or means to welcome guests for iftar.
“Ramadan feels different now. It’s painful but at the same time more real. When we lost our home, we began to understand what sacrifice really means. When you sleep in an evacuation center, you understand hunger, discomfort in a deeper way,” Dabbang said.
“We don’t prepare special dishes. We prepare our hearts.”
While she and thousands of others have lost everything they have ever owned, she has not lost her faith.
“Our dreams may have turned to ashes, but our prayers are still alive,” she said.
“This Ramadan my prayers are more emotional than ever. I pray for strength, not just for myself, but for my family and for every neighbor who also lost their family home. I pray for healing from the trauma of fire. I pray that Allah will replace what we lost with something better. I pray for the chance to rebuild not just our house, but our sense of security.”
Juraij Dayan Hussin, a volunteer helping the Bongao fire victims, observed that many of them were traumatized and the need to cleanse the heart and mind during Ramadan was what kept many of them going, because they are “thankful that even though they lost their property, they are still alive.”
But the religious observance related to the fasting month is not easy in a cramped shelter.
“It’s hard for Muslims to perform their prayers when they do not have their proper attire because they usually have specific clothes for prayer,” he said. “Sanitation in the area is also an issue ... when you fast and when you pray, cleanliness is essential.”
For Abdulkail Jani, who is staying at a basketball court with his brother and more than 70 other families, this Ramadan will be spent apart from their parents, whom they managed to move to relatives.
“The month of Ramadan this year is a month of trial ... there will be a huge change from how we observed Ramadan in the past, but we will adjust to it and try to comfort ourselves and our family. The most important thing is that we can perform the fasting,” he told Arab News.
“Despite our situation now, despite everything, as long as we’re alive, we will observe Ramadan. We’ll try to observe it well, without missing anything.”
