I refer to the report of TJ Burgonio “Philippines defies China warning,” in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 29 with regard to the Philippines’ act of filing the pleading on the sea dispute. To quote from the said report: “Unfazed by threats of sanctions from China, the government yesterday said it was pursuing its case […]
MANILA – Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison on Friday said the Philippine government is right in filing a case against China before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). Sison, chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), said in a statement that […]
WASHINGTON—“There should be no doubt about resolve of the United States. We stand by our allies and we stand by our commitments,” Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, the top US diplomat for East Asia, told a Senate panel that oversees policy in the region. The United States on Thursday cautioned China that it will […]
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines rebuked China on Friday, April 4, for its aggressive behavior in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) as it dismissed that country’s barrage of statements against the Philippines on a historic case. “Countries should be judged by their actions, not by their words,” Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario […]
A few China links for the end of the week: The Permanent Court of Arbitration has established an official webpage for the case of “The Republic of the Philippines v. The People’s Republic of China”—the arbitration case the Philippines has brought to challenge China’s nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea. The page confirms […]
The US gave a strong warning to China not to escalate territorial tensions in the Asia-Pacific region if it doesn’t want to face American retaliation. In his statement, a US official used sanctions on Russia over Crimea’s accession as an example. Although it’s difficult to gauge China’s response at this point, more pressure needs to […]
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Even as it strongly criticized the Philippines for “hyping up” the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) issue, China’s recent statements against its challenger show that it has taken the same tack by subjecting the Philippines to trial by publicity. This legal but out-of-court battle against the Philippines becomes clearer days […]
The presence of a US Navy plane monitoring possible confrontation between Chinese coast guard ships and a civilian Philippine vessel serves as proof the US is ready to provide all-out support to the Philippines if it is attacked by China, a source in the Armed Forces said on Friday. “The presence of the US Navy […]
Manila, Philippines — Lawmakers yesterday asked the Aquino government to expedite the signing of a new Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation (AEDC) with the United States based on “mutual interest” in the wake of Washington’s vow to defend its Southeast Asian allies against China’s aggressive action in pursuing claims over disputed islands in the West […]
The Philippines has put its disputed territorial claims before an arbitration tribunal in The Hague. According to Gregory Polin, Manila’s arguments against China’s ‘nine-dash line’ and rival claims are entirely justified. It’s now up to the tribunal to weigh in and convince Beijing of these ‘facts’. By Gregory Poling for Pacific Forum CSIS Editor’s note: […]