HONG KONG – In 1938, in the midst of a long campaign to bring China under Communist Party rule, revolutionary leader Mao Zedong wrote: “Whoever has an army has power.” Xi Jinping, Mao’s latest successor, has taken that dictum to heart. He has donned camouflage fatigues, installed himself as commander-in-chief and taken control of […]
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua expressed regret on Thursday to visiting Chancellor Philip Hammond that the South China Sea issue had harmed ties, after a British warship sailed close to islands claimed by China last August. “It is regrettable that since August last year the relations between our two countries witnessed […]
MANILA, Philippines — While in Beijing to strengthen bilateral ties, President Duterte can press for an end to the harvesting of giant clams and other activities by the Chinese that destroy the maritime environment in the West Philippine Sea, according to a Filipino maritime expert. Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines-Institute […]
MALACAÑANG said Thursday, April 25, that President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed that the long-standing disputes over the resource-rich West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) could be addressed through bilateral consultations. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte raised the sea disputes, but tried to ease the tension over the issue, […]
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is leaving for Beijing this week to attend the Belt and Road forum. Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and his comrades are agitating for the President to raise the issue of Philippine sovereignty over the South China Sea when he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping. Such a proposal only shows […]
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping, before the meeting at the Great Hall of People in Beijing on Thursday. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte tried to play down tensions over the South China Sea and restated his support for Beijing’s contentious global infrastructure and trade plan as he courted Chinese […]
MANILA (UPDATE) – President Rodrigo Duterte raised Manila’s concerns over rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea during his bilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Malacañang said Thursday. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte particularly discussed the situation in Pag-asa Island. “Both agree that the situation can be managed by the mechanism of […]
He has donned camouflage fatigues, installed himself as commander-in-chief and taken control of the two million-strong Chinese military, the People’s Liberation Army. It is the biggest overhaul of the PLA since Mao led it to victory in the nation’s civil war and founded the People’s Republic in 1949. Xi has accelerated the PLA’s shift […]
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government might declare Pag-asa (Thitu) Island and Eastern Kalayaan in the West Philippine Sea as marine protected areas. This statement comes after the reported harvesting of giant clams by Chinese vessels in the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, a traditional fishing ground off the coast of Zambales. National Security Adviser Hermogenes […]
Orbiting 22,000 miles above Earth, a fleet of American-built satellites is serving the Chinese government in ways that challenge the U.S. Nine of these satellites have been part of efforts to connect Chinese soldiers on contested outposts in the South China Sea, strengthen police forces against social unrest and make sure state messaging penetrates […]