China Coast Guard vessels conducting a blockade operation on 22 August 2023 to prevent the Philippines from sending provisions to its garrison on Second Thomas Shoal. (Philippine Coast Guard)

China and the Philippines would be ‘crossing the Rubicon' should a Filipino citizen be killed by Beijing's ongoing actions in the South China Sea. This statement, which carries the implication of a war breaking out between China, the Philippines, and the United States, was delivered by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr during a question and answer session at the Shangri-La Dialogue on 31 May.

Marcos, who delivered the keynote address at the three-day dialogue that took place in Singapore, was responding to questions on the steps that Manila would take if the water cannons employed by the China Coast Guard were to kill a Filipino sailor.

Over the past few months, Chinese and Filipino coastguard vessels have on multiple occasions found themselves embroiled in maritime confrontations near the Second Thomas Shoal, where the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) maintains a small garrison of troops on the marooned landing ship, BRP Sierra Madre.

Navy ships from the Five Power Defence Arrangements member countries conducting a formation exercise during Exercise ‘Bersama Gold 2021'. A similar activity to be carried out in the later part of 2024, Exercise ‘Bersama Lima', is set to feature more complex military assets. (Ministry of Defence, Singapore)

Future exercises held under the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) are set to grow more complex with the injection of more sophisticated military hardware, including F-35 fighter aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems.

This development was disclosed in a statement issued by Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) after a meeting between the defence ministers of four FPDA countries and the United Kingdom's Director General for Security Policy. The meeting took place in the lead up to the Shangri-La Dialogue 2024, which was held in Singapore from 31 May to 2 June.

At the meeting, the leaders reaffirmed their respective countries' commitment to the FPDA and pledged their support for efforts to enhance the operational value of its exercises, said MINDEF.

The leaders also discussed how the FPDA can evolve to remain relevant and keep pace with contemporary security developments, the ministry added.

PT PAL's submarine building and MRO facility at Surabaya, which was visited by Janes on 30 May 2024. (PT PAL )

PT PAL has begun preliminary talks with a South Asian navy, which could see the Indonesian state-owned shipyard carrying out its first-ever submarine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) works for a foreign customer.

This development was disclosed by Commodore Wiranto (retd), the general manager for PT PAL's Submarine Division, during a meeting with Janes at its shipyard in Surabaya on 30 May.

The talks took place during the week that began on 20 May, said Cdre Wiranto.

Janes has been requested to redact the identity of the potential customer given sensitivities surrounding the potential deal.

“The fact that we have received the interest and confidence of a potential submarine MRO customer is testament to the quality of the facilities we have developed,” said Wiranto.

“Their interest validates what we've been told by overseas shipyards such as Naval Group and tkMS, who have affirmed that PT PAL's facilities are ready to carry out submarine building and MRO activities,” he added.