On April 17, Philippine defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana and U.S. ambassador Sung Kim took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the first official construction project under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). The project to build a warehouse for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies at Cesar Basa Air Base in Pampanga Province comes more […]

Is President Rodrigo Duterte a traitor, a tuta (lapdog) of China, or simply a pragmatist trying to get the most of a delicate situation? The question is being raised again in social media and other opinion forums after the President delivered remarks at the sendoff Tuesday of 50 Filipino scientists tasked to do research at […]

President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands prior to their bilateral meetings at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 20, 2016. King Rodriguez, Malacañang Photo/File MANILA- President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement that Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that he would not get ousted is “dumbfounding,” a maritime expert […]

Military analysts now believe that China dominates the South China Sea militarily to the extent that it would prevail in any situation other than an all-out war with the United States, according to a report by the Manila-based country risk firm Pacific Strategies & Assessments. “A series of reports over the past several months indicate […]

China’s militarization of the South China Sea has caused “great concern” in the United States, according to a visiting US official, who on Wednesday urged claimants in the strategic waterway to pursue dialogue instead of activities that “increase tensions and raise the possibility of conflict.” “Some of the recent reports of militarization would suggest that […]

The month-long deep-sea exploration of the South China Sea ended Wednesday with the discovery of polymetallic nodules and ancient hydrotherm which will help in exploiting metal resources and will provide the materials needed to manufacture military and aerospace equipment, observers said. Scientists have made great discoveries through the exploration, and the data and samples collected […]

ONBOARD BRP DAVAO DEL SUR: Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to shield President Rodrigo Duterte from any attempt to remove him from office, the Chief Executive has revealed. Duterte made the statement on Tuesday as he again touted the Philippines’ and China’s blooming ties under his leadership. “The assurances of Xi Jinping were very encouraging. […]

China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier began sea trials on Sunday, the latest step in the country’s mission to develop a modern, adaptable naval force. It was a milestone for the Chinese navy and could have long-term effects on the Asia-Pacific region. “China’s efforts to develop aircraft carriers are in line with the interests of […]

Chinese loans worth hundreds of billions of dollars are saddling Australia’s smaller regional neighbours with unsustainable debts and giving Beijing crucial economic leverage to gain strategic and military power, warns a new independent report written for the US State Department. http://www.afr.com/news/politics/world/us-secret-report-china-debt-trap-on-australias-doorstep-20180513-h0zzwd

Richard Heydarian writes that the fate of the Philippine president’s post-America foreign policy likely is to be decided by what happens in the contested South China Sea For almost two years, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has painstakingly moved to normalise bilateral relations with China. A consummate pragmatist, the mayor-turned-president views the Asian powerhouse as an […]