Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is avoiding criticism over Chinese expansion in the South China Sea, and has instead described Beijing as a good neighbor. Duterte made the remarks Tuesday at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Chinese-funded bridge. “I’m sure that in the end, China will be fair and the equity will be distributed,” he […]

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 18) — A former Senate President and ally of President Rodrigo Duterte wants a stronger national stance against China, which has ignored an international tribunal ruling that largely favored the Philippines in disputes in the South China Sea. In an interview with CNN Philippines, Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel advised the government […]

In a Rappler Talk interview, former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario says the amount due is ‘less than a million dollars’ MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ legal fees in its historic case against China remain unpaid two years after the Southeast Asian country won in The Hague, the country’s current and former foreign secretaries confirmed. […]

MANILA – Bilateral talks may not be the best way to address issues in the South China Sea, said a veteran journalist who wrote a book on the landmark arbitral court ruling that granted the Philippines exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea. Marites Vitug, author of “Rock Solid: How the Philippines won its […]

An airline says a Chinese ban on tour groups visiting the Pacific nation of Palau has forced it to end its services “indefinitely.” Palau Pacific Airlines said sales plummeted since China began fining tour companies for planning trips to Taiwan allies Palau and the Vatican last year. Beijing has been accused of “dollar diplomacy” in […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Thursday comments made by a senior White House official blaming Chinese President Xi Jinping for blocking progress on a deal to avert a trade war were “shocking” and “bogus” accusations. The United States and China this month slapped tariffs on $34 billion of each other’s imports in an escalating […]

  The US and its allies continue to implement a dangerous strategy to counter China’s growing influence in the Pacific. These days, it’s all but too easy to get distracted by the stories the mainstream media overhypes on a regular basis and overlook some of those more pressing stories which fall beneath the radar. When […]

China’s militarisation of the South China Sea will be a key topic at next week’s AUSMIN summit, but the government is declining to say whether Australia will play a greater role in asserting freedom of navigation through the disputed waterways. Defence Minister Marise Payne offered a spirited defence of Australia’s role in ensuring free movement […]

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte is expecting China to be fair on the South China Sea row as he expressed optimism that Filipinos would eventually view Beijing as a “good neighbor.” Duterte, who has been accused of not doing enough to assert the country’s maritime claims, said the Philippines and China have agreed to […]

The U.S. should respond more vigorously to Beijing’s violations of international law. Two years after an international tribunal rejected expansive Chinese claims to the South China Sea, Beijing is consolidating control over the area and its resources. While the U.S. defends the right to freedom of navigation, it has failed to support the rights of […]