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Philippines, China spat escalates over ‘misguided’ South China Sea claims as Blinken visits region

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to touch down in the Philippines Monday as tensions between Beijing and Manila continue to escalate over territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs on Sunday clapped back at «baseless and misleading» statements issued by China last week that suggested it had «historic rights» to the international waters after a spokesperson for its foreign ministry said China was the «first country to discover, name, explore and exploit» the international waters. 

«The Philippines maintains a firm stand against misguided claims and irresponsible actions that violate Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in its own maritime domain,» the department said in a statement. 

Chinese Coast Guard ship uses water cannons on Philippine navy-operated supply boat

In this handout photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a Chinese Coast Guard ship uses water cannons on Philippine navy-operated supply boat M/L Kalayaan as it approaches Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, in the disputed South China Sea on Dec. 10, 2023. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

LAWMAKERS TO PROPOSE GREATER OVERSIGHT OF CHINESE LAND ACQUISITIONS IN AMERICA

China in recent years has repeatedly looked to assert control over hundreds of miles of the South China Sea despite internationally recognized Exclusive Economic Zones maintained by nations like the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Beijing’s increasingly aggressive posture is set to be a leading issue amid Blinken’s trip Monday.

«It’s inevitable that anytime you are going to talk with partners in the region you have to talk about China,» a senior State Department official told reporters. 

Blinken waves

Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he boards an airplane to depart for the Philippines from Osan Air Base, in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Monday, March 18, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

US CAREFULLY MONITORS CHIP EXPORTS TO CHINA, DEEPENS INVESTMENTS IN PHILIPPINES

Blinken, who first stopped in South Korea over the weekend, will reiterate the Biden administration’s «ironclad» commitments to regional partners as security concerns continue to mount in the Indo-Pacific. 

«Our focus is on maintaining peace and stability and respect for international law,» the senior official said.

Philippine soldiers

Philippine soldiers look at Philippine Coast Guard vessels near Thitu Island in the disputed South China Sea on Dec. 1, 2023. (Jam Sta Rosa/AFP via Getty Images)

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«We are concerned any time you see these tensions in the maritime domain,» they added. «There is the risk of a miscalculation, there’s no doubt about it. «

«We’ve called in particular for China to show restraint and most importantly for China to respect international law,» the senior official added. 

Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the Chinese embassy in Manila for comment. 

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INTERNACIONAL

French PM to resign as leftists nab majority of parliamentary seats in snap election

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A far-left political coalition that unexpectedly assembled ahead of France’s snap elections is projected to win the majority of parliamentary seats up for grabs and the country’s prime minister has announced his intention to resign – leading the country into unforeseen territory and possible turmoil.

As the election results came in, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced he will be turning in his resignation on Monday. 

President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance was projected to take the second most seats, while the far right was projected to come in third.

Macron called the snap election just four weeks ago, after the right-wing National Rally (RN) scored enormous success in the European Parliamentary elections in June. Polling before the first round of voting indicated RN would continue to dominate. However, more recent polling ahead of the runoff indicates those returns have diminished and RN will fall short of a clear majority. 

FRENCH ELECTION PREVIEW: POLLS SHOW RIGHT-WING PARTY LEADS RUNOFF AS OPPONENTS URGE TACTICAL VOTING

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal delivers a speech after the second round of the legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

The first round occurred on June 30 and resulted in just 76 of the 577 constituencies in the French National Assembly determining their representative. Candidates who did not receive an outright majority in the first round of voting went on to a second-round runoff, which happened on Sunday.

Going into the election, France was set to elect the RN as the largest party in government, though it was possible no party might emerge with a clear majority in the tightly contested election.

When the results started to come in, projections changed toward the left, signifying a lack of majority for any single alliance, which threatened to plunge France into economic and political turmoil.

FRANCE’S RIGHT-WING NATIONAL RALLY LOOKS TO SEIZE ON RECENT ELECTORAL GAINS

Jean-Luc-Melenchon

Far-left La France Insoumise – LFI – (France Unbowed) founder Jean-Luc Melenchon delivers a speech at the party election night headquarters, Sunday, July 7, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

The final results of the election are not expected until late Sunday or early Monday.

Macron made a huge gamble when he called for the snap election, and the projections show the gamble may not have paid off for the unpopular president and his alliance, which lost control of parliament.

While the far-right RN greatly increased the number of seats it now holds in parliament, the results fell short of the party’s expectations.

FRANCE’S GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON IS ATTACKED ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL, DAYS BEFORE DECISIVE ELECTION

socialist-party reacting

Supporters of the Socialist Party react after the second round of the legislative elections, Sunday, July 7, 2024, at their election night headquarters in Paris.  (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon urged Macron to invite the leftist New Popular Front coalition to form a government, given projections that put it in the lead.

Macron’s office said the president would «wait for the new National Assembly to organize itself» before making any decisions.

RIVALS MOVE TO BLOCK FRANCE’S RIGHT-WING NATIONAL PARTY’S ELECTION MOMENTUM

Macron votes

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron leave the voting booth before voting for the second round of the legislative elections in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, July 7 2024. Voting has begun in mainland France on Sunday in pivotal runoff elections that could hand a historic victory to Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and its inward-looking, anti-immigrant vision — or produce a hung parliament and political deadlock. (Mohammed Badra, Pool via AP)

A hung parliament with no single bloc coming close to getting the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority in the National Assembly, the more powerful of France’s two legislative chambers, would be unknown territory for modern France.

France doesn’t have a tradition of lawmakers from rival political camps coming together to form a working majority.

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The projections, if confirmed by official counts, will spell intense uncertainty for a pillar of the European Union and its second-largest economy, with no clarity about who might partner with Macron as prime minister in governing France.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Aitken and The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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