Philippine president adamant over island

The Philippines will not back down from a South China Sea dispute with China, Benigno Aquino, the country’s president, has said. While delivering the state of the nation address on Monday, Aquino also said that he would soon secure dozens of new aircraft and ships for maritime defence. Aquino said more than 40 military aircraft - along with other weapons - would be delivered in the next two years to bolster Philippine military muscle. Philippines and China have been locked in a conflict over islands that both countries claim in the South China Sea. Aquino did not disclose which country would supply the weapons but said a second US Coast Guard cutter would arrive soon from longtime ally, the United States.  A refurbished Coast Guard cutter from the US was relaunched by the Philippine navy last year as its largest and most modern warship. Washington has also provided $30m to strengthen the Philippine military aside from US help in establishing a national coast watch centre that would help protect the archipelago's 36,000-km coastline, according to Aquino. But he stressed that the Philippines was aiming to forge a peaceful solution that would be acceptable to China.