By Joel GUINTO
The Philippines may invest in its first-ever submarine fleet to help protect its territory in the disputed South China Sea, President Benigno Aquino said Wednesday.
The impoverished nation, which has never before operated submarines and until now relied largely on US surplus ships, has been ramping up defence spending in response to China's military expansion in the region.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea despite conflicting claims from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.
Aquino said the Philippines could lose control of its entire west coast should China succeed in enforcing its claims.
"We've had to accelerate the modernisation of our armed forces for self-defence needs," he told reporters.
"We are a natural transit point into the Pacific and we are now studying whether or not we do need a submarine force," he said.
Beijing has reclaimed more than 2,900 acres (1,174 hectares) from the South China Sea in less than two years in an intensive island-building campaign, and has deployed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island there, according to Taipei and Washington.
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