US Ally Rolls Out New Plan To Counter China Threat

The Philippines has indicated its aim to assert authority over nearby waters in response to China’s goals of dogged expansion. “This strategic action is designed to be self-sustaining and will not require ongoing directives,” Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said in a statement Friday, without elaborating on the level of operational independence commanders will have. Territorial disputes oppose China and the Southeast Asian nation, a U.S. defense treaty ally, over areas within the latter’s internationally recognized exclusive economic zone (EEZ). China’s expansive claims over the South China Sea conflict with those of the Philippines as well as several other…