Monthly Archives: June 2016

Asia’s New Battlefield: The South China Sea Disputes

Singapore – “The vast Pacific Ocean has enough space for two large countries like the United States and China,” claimed Chinese President Xi Jinping during his intimate retreat in Sunnylands with his American counterpart, Barack Obama, back in 2013. Optimistic about a new era of cooperation, Xi espoused a “new model of great power relations.” […]

China urged to have civilized behavior in sea dispute settlements: workshop

In a civilized world, disputes should be resolved in a civilized manner in accordance with mutually agreed laws among relevant parties, experts said at an international workshop on sea security and development that concluded Friday in northern Vietnam. Co-hosted by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam, the […]

China blasts ‘unilateral’ Philippine move ahead of ruling

BEIJING — China accused the Philippines Wednesday of ignoring requests for dialogue about their maritime dispute, as tensions rise before an international tribunal’s ruling on the territorial row. The Philippines has “unilaterally closed the door of settling the South China Sea issue with China through negotiation,” China’s foreign ministry said in a lengthy statement published […]

The South China Sea Set to Boil: Is a U.S.-China Showdown in the Works?

The United States continues to reiterate the need for regional stability, while China fundamentally perceives the South China Sea as a matter of its territorial sovereignty. As important, Beijing once again emphasized that, in its view, it is the United States that is destabilizing the region, by encouraging China’s neighbors to pursue territorial claims against […]

Incoming DFA chief Yasay: No bilateral talks with China before tribunal decision

MANILA – The Philippines will not pursue bilateral talks with China until an international tribunal decides on a case brought by the Philippines in connection with claims in the South China Sea, incoming foreign minister Perfecto Yasay said on Friday. The Philippines has brought a case at an international tribunal in The Hague contesting China’s […]

States will challenge China’s planned South China Sea air defense zone – US expert

MANILA, Philippines — The moment China makes good on its plan to declare an air defense identification zone in the South China Sea, different countries can be expected to put up a challenge by sending warplanes swarming through the vital sea lanes, an American security expert said. “If the Chinese declare an ADIZ, the minute […]