Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said he agreed “totally” with a call to contest China’s construction efforts in the Kagitingan Reef in the West Philippine Sea. File/Malacañang Photo MANILA—Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Saturday said he agreed “totally” with a call to contest China’s construction efforts on the Kagitingan Reef in the West Philippine […]
The issue has raised broader questions about the security risks of Beijing’s involvement in certain industries overseas. In early January, news broke that a local subsidiary of South Korean shipbuilding giant Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC) had defaulted on loans from local banks. While the immediate focus on this was on the issues of […]
Beijing says pact is of ‘great significance … in enhancing international and regional peace’ and urges Washington and Moscow to ‘properly deal with disputes through constructive dialogue’ “As an important bilateral treaty in the fields of arms control and disarmament, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty is of great significance in easing relations between powers, in […]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 2) — The Philippines will protest China’s reported construction of a maritime rescue center in the West Philippine Sea once it is verified, the country’s top diplomat said Saturday. In a series of tweets, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. agreed with Senior Associate Justice […]
Much of what needs to be said of the recent report on the People’s Liberation Army downsizing has been said. As part of the “transformational changes” undertaken so far, China’s army now accounts for less than 50 per cent of all PLA troops, with almost half of the non-combatant units made redundant and the officer […]
The U.S. failure to counter China’s “gray zone” tactics stems from a lack of will, not a lack of options. Although the Trump administration is taking an increasingly harder line vis-à-vis Beijing, there is little doubt that the United States has failed to counter Chinese expansion via salami-slicing in the South China Sea (SCS). Current […]
The Philippines is considering a review of its 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty with the US. Secretary of National Defence Delfin Lorenzana said a review could look at ways to “maintain it, strengthen it, or scrap it”. The possibility that the Philippines might withdraw from the treaty has caused considerable consternation in US-Asia policy circles. Some […]
Manila (The Philippine Daily Inquirer) – President Duterte’s spokesperson on Thursday said the Philippines “maybe should be thankful” for the “maritime rescue center” that China had launched on Philippine-claimed Kagitingan Reef in the South China Sea. The state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua announced the opening of the facility on Tuesday. Not bad? It said China […]
When boat QNG 90675 limped into the Vietnamese port at Quang Ngai on Dec. 12, it showed signs of a confrontation at sea with a Chinese coast guard ship. According to local officials, the coast guard boarded the boat, forced the crew of seven to stand with their hands behind their heads, and confiscated their […]
SINGAPORE/BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s state energy giants are set to raise spending on domestic drilling this year to the highest levels since 2016, focussing on adding natural gas reserves in a concerted drive to boost local supplies. Responding to President Xi Jinping’s call last August to boost domestic energy security, China’s trio of oil majors […]