Senior Republican lawmakers ask Biden for options to support Philippines in Beijing standoff

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SUMMARY

WASHINGTON, USA – Two senior Republican US senators have asked President Joe Biden to provide a complete list of options developed by the Pentagon and State Department to help support the Philippines in recent standoffs with Beijing over a contested shoal in the South China Sea.

Central to tensions is the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines maintains a rusty warship manned by a small crew that it deliberately grounded in 1999 to reinforce its maritime claims. It regularly sends supply missions to troops stationed there.

Tensions in the disputed waterway have boiled over into violence in the past year, with a Filipino sailor losing a finger in a June 17 clash that Manila described as “intentional-high speed ramming” by a Chinese coast guard vessel.

The United S…

Source:https://www.rappler.com/world/us-canada/senior-republican-lawmakers-ask-biden-options-support-philippines-beijing-standoff/

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