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US, Phillipines conduct military exercises; Abe appoints new defence minister
by Stephen Carlson
Washington (UPI) Oct 1, 2018

Chinese destroyer extremely close to US warship: US
Washington (AFP) Oct 2, 2018 - A Chinese warship sailed within yards of an American destroyer -- forcing it to change course -- in an "unsafe and unprofessional" encounter as the US vessel was in contested waters in the South China Sea, an official said Monday.

The USS Decatur guided-missile destroyer was conducting what the military calls a "freedom of navigation operation" Sunday, when it passed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs in the remote Spratly Islands.

The 12-mile distance is commonly accepted as constituting the territorial waters of a landmass.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it.

Beijing claims all of the Spratlys and has built a number of military installations on the islands.

During the operation, a Chinese Luyang destroyer approached the USS Decatur in "an unsafe and unprofessional maneuver in the vicinity of Gaven Reef in the South China Sea," US Pacific Fleet spokesman Commander Nate Christensen said.

The Chinese ship then conducted a series of "increasingly aggressive maneuvers, and warned the Decatur to depart the area," he added.

The Chinese "destroyer approached within 45 yards (meters) of Decatur's bow, after which Decatur maneuvered to prevent a collision."

In a statement, the Chinese Ministry of Defense said that its ship had "given a warning to leave" to the vessel after it entered the area "without permission."

"The US has repeatedly sent warships into the territorial waters near Chinese reefs and islands in the South China Sea," it said.

The behavior "gravely threatens China's sovereignty and security, gravely damages relations between China and the US and their militaries, and gravely injures regional peace and stability."

US-Chinese relations have been strained on multiple levels since Donald Trump became president in 2017.

A trade war launched by Trump has infuriated Beijing, as did his authorization of a $1.3 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a rebel province.

Washington last week enacted new tariffs against China covering another $200 billion of its imports.

China has taken a series of retaliatory measures, including scrapping a US warship's planned port visit to Hong Kong and canceling a meeting between the head of the Chinese navy and his American counterpart.

On Monday, a US defense official said that security talks due to take place later this month in Beijing between Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart had been canceled.

The 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and the Philippines armed forces began exercise KAMANDAG 2 at Subic Bay International Airport on Monday.

KAMANDAG 2 will be performed October 1-10 at several locations on and off the island of Luzon in the Philippines. In addition to the United States and the Philippines, Japan will be participating in the exercise.

The Philippine-led exercise will include military-to-military exchanges with U.S. forces, with the focus primarily on counter-terrorism and disaster relief.

KAMANDAG 2 is meant to enhance cooperation and interoperability between Philippine and the U.S. military. Exercises will include humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, an amphibious landing, live fires, close air support, survival training, urban operation and combat medical training.

"In its first iteration last year, KAMANDAG gave rise to many inaugural advancements between our militaries," Brig. Gen. Christopher A. McPhillips, commanding general for the 3rd MEB, said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to all that we're going to achieve together this year."

The exercise will include community relations events such as engineering and construction projects such as a school and two daycare centers in Ternate, Cavite. U.S. and Philippine military medical teams will teach hundreds of Ternate residents about medical skills like CPR and dental hygiene.

KAMANDAG is an acronym for the Filipino phrase "Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma Ng Dagat," which translates to "Cooperation of Warriors of the Sea."

Japan PM Abe appoints new defence minister in cabinet reshuffle
Tokyo (AFP) Oct 2, 2018 - Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday replaced his defence minister in a cabinet reshuffle that otherwise left key government positions largely unchanged.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who was reappointed, announced the lineup for the new cabinet, with key ministers including finance minister Taro Aso and foreign minister Taro Kono staying on.

But Itsunori Onodera, defence minister since August 2017, was replaced by Takeshi Iwaya, 61, a veteran politician who has had short stints in roles including vice minister for defence and foreign affairs.

The reshuffle follows Abe's reelection as leader of his Liberal Democratic Party last month, which puts him on track to become Japan's longest-serving prime minister.

"It was no surprise that Abe focused on stability rather than a challenge," said Tomoaki Iwai, professor of Japanese politics at Nihon University.

"Abe prioritised imminent tasks such as a fight against deflation so that he can consolidate his power before tackling a revision of the constitution," Iwai told AFP.

After winning a historic third term as LDP head last month, Abe vowed to press ahead with plans to revise Japan's pacifist constitution, which remains a controversial proposition.

Iwaya takes over as Japan continues to focus on the threat posed by North Korea despite easing tensions on the Korean peninsula and international negotiations on Pyongyang's denuclearisation.

In an annual defence review released in August, the defence ministry said North Korea remained a "serious and imminent threat".

Japan's 2018 defence white paper also took aim at China's rise as a military power, saying Beijing was sparking "strong security concerns in the region and international community, including Japan".

Iwai said the new defence chief was something of an unknown quantity.

"Iwaya is not a novice on defence but is also not as experienced as Onodera," he said.

"His capability as defence chief remains unknown."

Newcomers to Abe's cabinet include Satsuki Katayama, the new minister for promoting local economies, who will be the sole female member of the cabinet.

Abe's previous cabinet had two female ministers.


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Vatican, China in hush negotiations on 'underground' bishops: sources
Vatican City (AFP) Sept 28, 2018
After clinching a historic deal, the Vatican and China are involved in fresh negotiations over the fate of "underground" bishops who remained faithful to the pope for decades despite pressure from Beijing, sources say. The Vatican hopes the negotiations following Saturday's deal - seen as paving the way for rapprochement between the Catholic Church and Beijing - will lead China to soften its approach to those who swore allegiance to the pontiff for decades. A Vatican source and a Chinese pries ... read more

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