Monthly Archives: January 2015

China slams Philippines for criticizing island project in South China Sea

Reuters) – China on Monday hit back at the Philippines for criticizing Beijing’s ongoing reclamation project in the disputed South China Sea, saying that its actions were within the scope of Chinese sovereignty. China lays claim to almost all of the entire South China Sea, believed to be rich with minerals and oil-and-gas deposits. Brunei, […]

China builds ports, helipads on Spratly islands

China’s reef reclamation and development projects in the disputed Spratly islands in the West Philippine Sea last year have progressed by leaps and bounds, and security officials expect them to be turned into man-made islets ready for occupation by Chinese military personnel and civilians. Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Pio Gregorio Catapang confirmed the […]

The Real South China Sea Problem: The Shadow of China

Linda Jakobson’s recent report, China’s Unpredictable Maritime Security Actors, is an important contribution for China watchers, especially for those who seek to understand the relationship between Chinese actions associated with its maritime disputes in Asia and its broader strategic approach to the region. This relationship is an important policy question because observers, including myself, worry […]

PH’s arbitration case vs China shows options in sea row

MANILA, Philippines – By turning to international arbitration to define its maritime entitlements in the South China Sea, Manila has shown there are options to resolve territorial disputes other than lopsided negotiations where mighty nations lord over small ones. Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia Jr. voiced the observation in a speech during […]

China Renews Rhetoric over the Senkakus

The Chinese government has opened an official website which endorses China’s position towards the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. The website, www.diaoyudao.org.cn, is accessible in Chinese under the isles Chinese name, the Diaoyu Islands. According to this blog from the New York Times, the home page of the site opens to a Chinese national flag next to […]

Beijing creates armed militias to ‘protect’ claims in S. China sea

Despite protests from the Vietnamese government, China has established a department of the People’s Armed Forces in the disputed South China Sea on Jan. 6, according to Hong Kong Economic Journal. The Sansha city government, created on Woody island in the Paracels in 2012 and declared by Beijing to be the prefectural seat of the […]

DFA launches digital pamphlet on the West Philippine Sea

From the Department of Foreign Affairs The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) launched today the digital version of the pamphlet, “Ang West Philippine Sea: Isang Sipat.” “Ang West Philippine Sea: Isang Sipat” was jointly developed by the DFA and the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) to serve as an accessible and comprehensible […]

How Close Is China to Another South China Sea Airstrip?

On January 8, the Philippine news outlet Rappler quoted an informed defense source as saying that China is likely to finish constructing its second airstrip in the South China Sea by the end of 2015. Separately, the chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, General Gregorio Catapang Jr., also revealed that Beijing was about […]

PH’s arbitration case vs China shows options in sea row

MANILA, Philippines – By turning to international arbitration to define its maritime entitlements in the South China Sea, Manila has shown there are options to resolve territorial disputes other than lopsided negotiations where mighty nations lord over small ones. Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia Jr. voiced the observation in a speech during […]

‘Timing good’ to take Senkaku issue to ICJ, U.S. law professor says

NEW YORK – Japan should take its disagreements with China over the Senkaku Islands to the International Court of Justice, Jerome Cohen, a New York University law professor and expert in Chinese law, said in an interview. “I want Japan to use international law,” Cohen said, stressing that Japan should follow in the steps of […]