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Trump nominee asks China not to mess with Philippines, Taiwan
President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of State, Senator Marco Rubio, urged China to cease harassing the Philippines and Taiwan.
Rubio stated that China's actions in the Indo-Pacific are "deeply destabilizing" and compel the US to focus on the region "in ways we prefer not to have to."
During his confirmation hearing, Rubio highlighted China's "monster ship" that has remained in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone for days, causing alarm.
He affirmed that the US intends to uphold its defense commitments to both the Philippines and Taiwan.
Rubio warned that any "miscommunication" or "inadvertent conflict" could have "enormous" global consequences, especially given the treaty alliance with the Philippines.
The Philippine Coast Guard has been monitoring the Chinese ship near Zambales and exchanged radio challenges with the China Coast Guard.
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The Philippines formally requested China to withdraw the China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5901, nicknamed the "monster ship," from Philippine waters near Zambales, citing it as a provocative act intended to intimidate Filipino fishermen and normalize China's illegal presence in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
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