The Philippines had turned down offers from the United States to assist operations in the South China Sea, after a flare-up with China over missions to resupply Filipino troops on a contested shoal, its military chief said. Tensions in the disputed waterway have boiled over into violence in the past year, with a Filipino sailor losing a finger in the latest June 17 clash that Manila described as “intentional high-speed ramming” by the Chinese coast guard. The United States, a treaty ally, had offered support, but Manila prefers to handle operations on its own, Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. told Reuters in an exclusive interview late Thursday.

AFP chief: PH turned down US offer to help amid sea tensions. (2024, July 6). Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A2.