Monthly Archives: November 2014

Vietnam Premier Calls for South China Sea Restraint

Vietnam’s premier called on countries not to alter rocks and shoals in the South China Sea and warned that improperly-handled disputes with China risk damaging bilateral relations between the two nations. Countries should refrain from “actions that would complicate the situation and change the status quo of rocks and shoals,” in the South China Sea, […]

China and the United States Are Preparing for War

t a Nov. 12 news conference in Beijing, General Secretary of the Communist Party Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to notify the other side before major military activities, and to develop a set of rules of behavior for sea and air encounters, in order to avoid military confrontations in Asia. “It’s incredibly […]

South China Sea territorial dispute continues to be a hot topic

NAYPYITAW: The South China Sea territorial dispute continues to be a hot topic at the 25th Asean Summit that began here yesterday as leaders of the grouping are expected to address the issue in a statement to be issued by current Asean chair, Myanmar, today. The dispute is made more complex with China, one of […]

China offers ASEAN friendship, loans as South China Sea tension bubbles

(Reuters) – China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang proposed a friendship treaty with Southeast Asian countries and offered $20 billion in loans on Thursday but held firm on the line that Beijing will only settle South China Sea disputes directly with other claimants. China, Taiwan and four members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) […]

OP-ED: China’s island-building a bigger threat than oil rig

Without causing much of a stir, China has been quietly dumping sand onto reefs and rocks in waters claimed by Vietnam. In addition to altering the geography of the Spratly (Truong Sa) archipelago, China’s land reclamation work on Johnson South, Cuarteron, Fiery Cross, Gaven, and Kennan reefs could be used as a clever legal leverage […]

ASEAN to pressure China to stick to diplomacy on maritime disputes

“There cannot be a situation where a bigger nation is simply allowed to bully smaller nations,” he told reporters in Beijing, where Obama attended the summit. Singapore sees the maritime disputes as one of the region’s biggest threats to security, Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam told reporters. Singapore will push for progress on a code […]

President Aquino seeks support of India, U.N. member nations in sea dispute

NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar, Nov 13 — President Benigno S. Aquino III has sought the support of India and other members of the United Nations in easing tensions in the West Philippine Sea. The President made the appeal in his intervention during the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Summit held at the Sapphire […]

Scarborough is Phl, antique maps show

Beijing’s Communist rulers claim Scarborough Shoal by virtue of “ancient historical facts.” Yet, China’s own antique maps and official declarations debunk that line. Made in 1136 to 1933, the 18 old maps consistently show Hainan island-province always to have been China’s southernmost territory. Five Constitutions of the Republic of China – in 1912, 1914, 1924, […]

China Bypasses Philippines in Its Proposed ‘Maritime Silk Road’

BEIJING—The Philippines has paid a high price for launching a legal challenge to China over its sweeping claims to the South China Sea: Two-way trade, travel and investment are all languishing. Now, it risks missing out on a planned Chinese infrastructure spending bonanza designed to boost trade and bring jobs to the region. Read more: […]