As Donald Trump threatens further tariffs on Chinese imports, the prospect of a deal is receding IT IS becoming increasingly likely that the phoney trade war between America and China will develop into the real thing. On June 15th the Trump administration published two lists of Chinese products it plans to hit with tariffs of […]

‘Someday, somebody might make some mistakes and there will be a fight, some ships will be lost, and there might be a war,’ warns the Malaysian prime minister Keep out the warships and instead have joint small-boat patrols – that is Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s prescription for maintaining peace in the disputed and resource-rich […]

“China expresses regret at the U.S. decision to withdraw from the U.N. Human Rights Council,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular briefing. “China will continue, working with all sides, to make its contribution to the healthy development of human rights around the world via constructive dialogue and cooperation,” he added. Asked about […]

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte downplayed the taking of Filipino fishermen’s catch by the China Coast Guard, saying it was a “barter” exchange and thus does not count as seizure. “It was a barter in exchange for fish. The problem is the valuation…We could not understand each other here. It was not an […]

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte tried to allay fears over China’s construction of military bases on man-made islands in the South China Sea, saying they are a defence against the US, not made to attack Asian states. “It’s not intended for us,” he said in a speech to Chinese-Filipino businessmen on Monday. “The contending ideological powers […]

MANILA, Phillippines — Rep. Gary Alejano (Magdalo party-list) on Tuesday reminded Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano that the Philippines effectively lost control of Sandy Cay in the West Philippine Sea under the Duterte administration. The Magdalo lawmaker was responding to the DFA secretary’s challenge to prove that the country lost an island to Beijing […]

WIN-WIN DEAL Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano support joint venture in the South China Sea. —AFP Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) and Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano. AFP FILE The Philippines and China “co-control” the Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said Monday night, despite […]

Foreign Secretary Alan Cayetano admitted that many of the country’s career diplomats still had “a hard time” following President Rodrigo Duterte’s foreign policy. A senator before he was appointed the country’s top diplomat a little over a year ago, Cayetano thanked officers and staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for being professionals. “To […]

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that China’s reported deployment of weapons in the South China Sea in recent weeks has escalated tensions in the contested waters. In an interview with Channel News Asia on June 1, which was aired last week, the defense chief finally spoke of China’s installation of weapons in the artificial islands […]

China gave Trump $500 million to get rid of the ZTE sanctions, but the Senate voted to reimpose the sanctions 85-10 as part of the must-pass NDAA legislation. Politico reported, “The provision targeting ZTE was part of the National Defense Authorization Act, a must-pass defense spending bill that cleared the Senate by a vote of […]