BANGKOK: Asean leaders meeting this weekend in Bangkok are determined to drive forward the world’s largest trade pact, more than three years behind schedule, with the trade war between the US and China clouding the outlook for their export-led economies. Disputes in the flashpoint South China Sea, Myanmar’s persecution of Rohingya Muslims and plastic […]
Despite progress in negotiations between Asean and China towards establishing a Code of Conduct (COC) for the contentious South China Sea, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on Saturday that the situation on the ground remained complicated. “Unlawful unilateral activities, including land reclamation to change the status quo, militarisation, collisions that put lives of […]
BANGKOK: Southeast Asian nations made good progress on a Code of Conduct negotiating draft for the disputed South China Sea and likely will finish a first reading by the end of this year, the Thai foreign ministry said as regional leaders met in Bangkok. China says it owns most of the waterway – a claim […]
Europe is expanding its naval presence in the contested sea, adding legitimacy to US free navigation operations and affirming China’s anxieties of Western encirclement A coalition of the willing is building in the South China Sea as European powers bolster the United States and its Asian allies’ freedom of navigation operations vis-à-vis China in […]
The armed forces’ Western Command (WESCOM) has expressed continuing concern over the presence of Chinese fishing vessels around the Philippine-held Pag-asa island despite reports their number has reduced. WESCOM commander Vice Admiral Rene Medina, briefing the Palawan press, said the Chinese should “totally leave” the area. “On the part of the Armed Forces of the […]
MANILA – The Philippines on Friday (June 21) rejected China’s suggestions to jointly probe the sinking of a Philippine fishing boat by a Chinese trawler early this month. “There will be no joint investigation. China and the Philippines will conduct their respective investigations,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said in a tweet. China’s Foreign Ministry […]
CHINA critic and former Philippines foreign secretary Albert del Rosario was blocked from entering Hong Kong this morning – hours after accusing Beijing of lying over the sinking of a Phillipine fishing boat. Ramos bids to restore friendly ties between China and the Philippines Mr del Rosario was held at the airport despite being given […]
(CNN) — A satellite image obtained by CNN shows China has deployed at least four J-10 fighter jets to the contested Woody Island in the South China Sea, the first known deployment of fighter jets there since 2017. The image was taken Wednesday and represents the first time J-10s have been seen on Woody […]
CHINESE MILITARY MIGHT Startling new satellite images show China has deployed at least four fighter jets to a highly contested island in the South China Sea. Taken above the skies of Woody Island on Wednesday, the images mark a major military development in the disputed region. China has never before placed its sophisticated J-10 fighter […]
President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday vowed to discuss China’s expansive South China Sea claims with his fellow Southeast Asian leaders at the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Thailand. Duterte will be attending the Bangkok summit this weekend, as leaders are expected to discuss a range of regional issues including the […]