Author Archives: admin

US will not ignore China’s behavior in South China Sea, acting defense secretary Shanahan says

  Singapore (CNN)The United States can’t fully trust China until Beijing starts playing by the rules. That was the overarching message delivered by acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan at Asia’s premier defense forum Saturday morning in Singapore. Speaking to hundreds of delegates at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Shanahan avoided calling China out by name, but […]

Broadcaster apologizes for rants vs DSWD chief

  MANILA, Philippines — Radio broadcaster Erwin Tulfo apologized yesterday for the unwarranted rants and foul language he used in his radio program against Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista, who did not grant him an interview. But Tulfo insisted that it is his “right” as a journalist to criticize government officials, adding he won’t take […]

China’s Xi Jinping broke promise on South China Sea, says top US general

  WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States military’s top general said on Wednesday (May 29) that Chinese President Xi Jinping reneged on promises not to militarise the South China Sea, and called for “collective action” to hold Beijing responsible. General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he was not calling […]

‘Filipinos not covered by China fishing ban in South China

  MANILA, Philippines — Filipino fishermen can still fish in the South China Sea despite China’s three-month fishing ban in the region, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said yesterday. The DND chief, in a live interview over Channel 7’s Digital News late Tuesday afternoon, said Beijing’s fishing moratorium covers only their citizens. “I don’t think (the […]

What China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea means — and what comes next

China’s ‘maritime gray zone operations’ target U.S. naval vessels. On Wednesday, General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, remarked that despite assurances that there would be no moves to militarize the South China Sea, China had built “10,000-foot runways, ammunition storage facilities” — and routinely deployed aviation and missile […]

UP Law Alumni Association tags Morales’ HK detention as China’s ‘strong-arming’

MANILA, Philippines — The University of the Philippines Law Alumni Association said the detention of former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, their alumna, at the Hong Kong International Airport last week reflects China’s “strong-arming.” In a statement Tuesday, the UPLAA said that what happened with Morales, who is also a retired Supreme Court justice, “is a cause […]

Weighing the cost of appeasing china

In diplomacy and foreign relations, appeasement refers to a state’s effort to mollify or pacify, but not necessarily align with, a revisionist power. An appeasing state could extend diplomatic concessions to a revisionist power without necessarily aligning or subordinating its foreign policy with the latter’s. Appeasement can either complement a bandwagoning policy because a weak […]