The United States is toughening its stance over the South China Sea on China, which considers most of the energy rich sea as its own sovereign territory and has built artificial islands and converted them as military outposts. Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and defense secretary Jim Mattis held a joint […]
A statement by Philippines Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio warns that government must act in response to an “invasion of Philippine territory by China” in the South China Sea. The warning was triggered when Rep. Gary Alejano said that the military reported early last week that Chinese vessels appeared to be […]
Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano on Tuesday claimed Chinese vessels barred a Philippine government ship from going to Pagasa Island and have deployed vessels one to three nautical miles north of the contested territory in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). “I received information from my sources in the military, stating that since […]
At the gathering in Manila, Association of Southeast Asian Nations members avoided using any expressions that might displease Beijing in their statement regarding the territorial disputes. But Beijing is facing a more vocal rival claimant in Hanoi, and ties are strained with Singapore, which is edging closer to the United States and will […]
Something significant is happening in the South China Sea. Philippine media has reported that, over the past week, a flotilla of Chinese fishing vessels, accompanied by PLA Navy frigates and Chinese Coast Guard vessels, have maintained a presence very close to Thitu (which Manila calls ‘Pagasa’), the largest feature occupied by the Philippines in […]
China is not only stealing and occupying Philippine Territories at the West Philippine Sea or Spratly islands but at the same time, they also stealing massive quantities of soil from different parts of the Philippines for both mining and island-building purposes. In Davao Oriental alone, huge cargo ships from China have been regularly […]
It is official: Our policy on the West Philippine Sea is the appeasement of China. This is confirmed by the statement of Foreign Secretary Alan Cayetano at the recent meeting of Asean ministers that “…South China Sea claimants will suffer if they are harsh on China.” What acts will be harsh on China will presumably […]
(CNN)When it comes to the disputed waters of the South China Sea, Vietnam’s leaders must feel very lonely these days. Their fellow Southeast Asian claimants have either reversed course after years of escalating tensions with Beijing, or are keeping their heads down and letting Hanoi take up the fight. In June, the Vietnamese […]
MANILA, Philippines – Saying it is not about any particular country or about making a political statement, the United States has stressed that it will invoke freedom of navigation and challenge excessive maritime claims anywhere in the globe. In a recent press briefing in Washington, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said US forces […]
To prevent conflicts and maintain order in the South China Sea, it is indispensable to lay down legally binding international rules. It will be difficult to achieve this objective as long as China, which is continuing its self-righteous maritime advances, takes the lead in discussions on this. China and the Association of Southeast Asian […]