If anything demonstrates the interconnectedness of the 21st-century world, it is how a decision made in the Solomon Islands, population 650,000, in the remote South Pacific, can affect the behaviour of powerful countries on the other side of the globe. That, in a way, is exactly what happened last week when Nato leaders met in […]
THE United States needs to adjust its strategy in the Far East in order to contain China’s expansionist plans, with its current approach, in which it takes primary responsibility for the defence of allies, not only increasingly costly but also “risky” in terms of triggering a disastrous conflict with the massive superpower. Tensions in […]
A British navy survey vessel sailed through the Taiwan Strait, it was announced on Saturday, as the United Kingdom steps up its presence in the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a brief statement that HMS Enterprise had travelled northwards through the Taiwan Strait and the military had kept a close watch on […]
MANILA, Philippines — Delays have yet again hampered the construction of the beaching ramp on the Philippines’ biggest island outpost in the West Philippine Sea, which Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said will not be completed before year-end. In a Viber message to reporters on Friday, Lorenzana said bad weather on Pag-asa Island caused the breakdown […]
FORMER OMBUDSMAN CONCHITA CARPIO-MORALES SAYS THERE’S MORE TO THE CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY COMPLAINT FILED AGAINST CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING EVEN AFTER THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (ICC) RULED THAT IT HAS NO JURISDICTION OVER THE CASE. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 6) — Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said there’s more to the complaint she filed against […]
Taiwanese newspapers reported on Friday that at least two B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers believed to be from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam had overflown parts of the East China Sea a day before, close to Taiwan’s littoral waters and those claimed by China, after they hurtled past the Miyako Strait between Taiwan and […]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has dismissed the complaint filed by former Philippine officials against Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese officials over the alleged crimes against humanity they committed in the disputed West Philippine Sea (WPS or South China Sea). In the report on its preliminary activities for 2019 released on Thursday, […]
In its “Report on Preliminary Examination Activities 2019”, the court based in The Hague said it lacks “territorial and personal jurisdiction” to tackle the case, reasoning that the purported crimes happened outside Philippine territory. FORMER PHILIPPINE OFFICIALS ACCUSE XI JINPING OF CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY AT ICC “The information available confirms that the alleged conduct […]
PROSECUTORS at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have thrown out a case against China brought by the Philippines which accused its superpower neighbour of crimes against humanity for its “atrocious actions” in the South China Sea. The court said it has no jurisdiction over the complaint filed against President Xi Jinping and other Chinese […]
HANOI’S NEW DEFENSE WHITE PAPER REFLECTS FEARS OF CHINESE ENCROACHMENT. Defense is serious business in Vietnam, a country that has a history of fighting off foreign aggressors. Today, in the context of more contested strategic environment and increasing pressure from a more aggressive China, Vietnam needs an update to its defense policy. The 2019 defense […]