Disputes over islands are sowing mistrust and risk sparking an unintended conflict. OUR little boat bobbed about in the churning waters for several hours before we caught sight of the tiny island, 45km east of Singapore. A mere speck on the vast sea, it looked forlorn with its solitary lighthouse. As we approached the rock, […]
For those who are looking for specifics about the 24 July protest rally by the West Philippine Sea Coalition headed by Secretary Rafael Alunan III, here is the permit (courtesy of Nick Sotelo, one of the convenors): … Read more:On protest rally against China provocations: West Philippine Sea …
MANILA, Philippines – Turning the tables on China in their latest word war, the Philippines on Thursday, July 18, said the rising superpower has “no choice” but to subject itself to international law to show it is “a responsible nation.” “To be accepted as a responsible nation, China has no choice,” said Department of Foreign […]
BRUSSELS – The Philippines’ top diplomat has underscored that the arbitral proceedings initiated by Manila to challenge China’s excessive maritime claims do not undermine the consultations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Beijing for the crafting of a Code of Conduct (COC) on the South China Sea. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del […]
MANILA, Philippines—China is turning the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) into “one country’s lake,” Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said on Tuesday, pressing Manila’s effort to roll back Beijing’s expansive claims in the strategic waterway. Speaking before an experts’ roundtable on maritime security in Brussels, Belgium, Del Rosario said China’s assertion of ownership over […]
MANILA, Philippines – The Western Command vowed that it will not abandon Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Reef) in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) even as China maintained its presence there. “As far as the Wescom is concerned we are continuously monitoring our good friends in that area with what is available with my […]
MOSCOW, July 10 (RIA Novosti) – China and Russia on Wednesday completed an extensive naval exercise in the Far East, said a representative of Russia’s Pacific Fleet. The Naval Interaction 2013 exercise, in which 4,000 servicemen participated, came in the wake of US-Japanese war games held last month near San Diego, California. Tensions at sea […]
Amid China’s growing assertiveness over the South China Sea, Vietnam Thursday said that India has the right to pursue ‘exploration and exploitation work’ in the area. Vietnam foreign minister Pham Binh Minh, addressing a joint press briefing with his Indian counterpart Salman Khurshid, said both sides had discussed the South and East China Seas and […]
The hydrocarbon potential of the South China Sea (SCS) has become a source of tension between the littoral states of the region and, to a certain extent, a number of outside actors. However, the SCS’s significance to global oil and gas supplies is over-hyped. Instead, it is the region’s fisheries rather than fossil fuels that […]
STATE DEPARTMENT — U.S. and Chinese diplomats meet in Washington Wednesday for a security and economic dialogue expected to include rival territorial claims to the South China Sea. China is modernizing its navy and increasing patrols in the disputed waters of the South China Sea – where Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan are all […]