Philippines Cuts Communications With China

Serious breaking news.

This is Reuters Connect - a new room service, it hasn’t hit general availability yet.

Update 1: MANILA-US INDOPACOM COMMANDER: CHINA'S RECENT ACTIONS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA VIOLATE THE PHILIPPINES' SOVEREIGN RIGHTS

Update 2: Reuters has the actual story - Philippines would like U.S. escorts for when they resupply their contested islands. This is an expansive interpretation of our security agreement with them, would be very provocative to China.

Update 3: Per China Update, seen below, the attempt by the Philippines to draw the U.S into defending the disputed shoals in the South China Sea exceeds the bounds of the agreement.

Observation: Factor in the Chinese incursion into Japanese airspace when assessing this situation, there are multiple moving parts.

Assessment: Now we wait to see if the INDOPACOM statement is a change in U.S. policy that will lead to Arleigh Burke class destroyers escorting Philippine military vessels.

Context: Trump is spinning out, Harris/Walz are on the march, and Russia is too stretched to counter Ukraine’s invasion of Kursk. This is a month where a decade of history happens at once.

China Update has the details on what is happening.