00:00And moving on to rising tensions between the U.S. and China.
00:04The two were recently at loggerheads in the West Philippine Sea,
00:08the waters off the Philippines that Beijing claims is a part of the South China Sea.
00:15China claims it allegedly warned and drove away an American destroyer,
00:20sailing near the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
00:23The Chinese Defense Ministry said the American warship, the USS Higgins,
00:28illegally entered China's territorial waters off the Huangyang Island.
00:34The guided missile destroyer is deployed with the U.S. 7th Fleet that is based in Japan.
00:43And the Huangyang Island is the name that China uses for the Scarborough Shoal.
00:49It is a disputed region claimed by both China and the Philippines.
00:54Now, China accused the U.S. military of infringing on its sovereignty.
01:01Beijing accused Washington of violating international laws.
01:06It added that America's actions undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea.
01:12The U.S. has denied claims by China.
01:15The U.S. is defending its right to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows.
01:35And that the Chinese statements would not deter them.
01:39Now, this marked the first known U.S. military operation in the disputed South China Sea in at least six years.
01:47It also comes at a time when both the U.S. and China are locked in a trade spat.
01:54Now, this is over Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports.
01:58As the tensions soared, China even warned that it was prepared for any other type of war with the U.S.
02:05Now, the latest rift in the disputed South China Sea came a day after the Philippines accused Chinese vessels of dangerous maneuvers.
02:15This as a Chinese warship chasing a Filipino patrol boat crashed into one of its Coast Guard vessels.
02:23High tension, simmering standoffs and clashes are not new to the South China Sea.
02:29The region witnesses frequent skirmishes between the Chinese and Filipino navies.
02:35The tensions have escalated to a point that in May of 2024, the Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcus Jr., issued a stern warning.
02:45He said if a Filipino citizen dies in the South China Sea due to clashes with the Chinese Coast Guard, it would almost certainly be a red line.
02:55He added that it would become very close to what the Philippines defines as an act of war.
03:03In May this year, the militaries of the Philippines and the United States conducted joint drills.
03:09They sailed together in the South China Sea for a seventh time.
03:14This was to boost interoperability between the two sides.
03:17Now, the growing closeness between the Philippines and Taiwan has also emerged as a flashpoint with China.
03:26Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea as its own.
03:31China has also rejected a 2016 ruling by an international arbitration court that found no legal or historical basis for its claims.
03:42This has also triggered territorial disputes with nations like Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.
03:51Beijing's growing aggression in the South China Sea impacts one of the most valuable shipping lanes globally.
03:59Now, in 2023, 24% of global maritime trade transited through these waters.
04:06An estimated $5.3 trillion worth of commercial goods pass through it annually.
04:14The growing conflict in the South China Sea poses a massive risk to the global supply chains.
04:21However, the regional players who are allied with the U.S. have more on the line than others.
04:27We'll see you next time.
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