MANILA, Philippines — Bayan Muna party-list representatives have filed a resolution seeking a probe into the security implications of Chinese investors’ plan to develop three strategic islands in the northern Philippines. Bayan Muna Reps. Carlos Zarate, Eufemia Cullamat, and Ferdinand Gaite, in filing House Resolution No. 254, said security concerns on the projects are […]

  SEEMINGLY unfazed by China’s possible response, Preisdent Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, August 21, assured that he would invoke the arbitral ruling when he visits Beijing. In a speech delivered in Romblon, the President said he would discuss with Chinese President Xi Jinping the Philippines’ landmark win before the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, whether […]

  MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday he hopes that the joint oil and gas exploration with China could help resolve the maritime dispute over the South China Sea. Duterte had welcomed China’s proposal to share oil resources in the West Philippine Sea, the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the disputed waters, as […]

In this photo taken on Sept. 23, 2015, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel fires its water cannon on Filipino fishermen in a confrontation off Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. (AP) WASHINGTON–The White House on Tuesday accused China of “bullying tactics” in the increasingly tense waters of the South China Sea and said it […]

  MANILA — Vietnam and Malaysia do not claim waters where the Philippines have exclusive rights over natural resources, Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Tuesday, contradicting a remark by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano. Cayetano on Monday said Vietnam and Malaysia occupy more islands than China in the West Philippine Sea. He […]

  The U.S. Air Force’s chief of staff says there are no plans to reduce freedom of navigation operations in or over the South China Sea, which China cites as the source of increased tensions in the region. Speaking to reporters in Manila on Friday, Gen. Dave Goldfein said, “There will be no let-up in […]

  These shells are worth a fortune, but the price in environmental damage and heightened military tensions in the South China Sea is vastly higher. It sounds like a schlocky 1950s horror flick: a war across the Asia-Pacific triggered by a horde of giant clams. Unfortunately, this is not “Roger Corman Presents.” It’s the worst […]

  In a rare message aimed at China’s use of warships near Manila’s coast, President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered that from Tuesday, all foreign vessels intending to sail through Philippine territorial waters must now notify authorities and receive permission before proceeding. “Either we get a compliance in a friendly manner, or we enforce it in […]

  THE PHILIPPINES defence secretary has found himself in a bizarre war of words with Beijing in which both sides suggested foreign workers in their nations were spies. as tensions over the South China Sea continue to grow. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had called for online casinos operating near Philippine military camps to be relocated […]

  The South China Sea is a nexus of the China-US contest for dominance in the region. In the heat of this struggle, the United States has frequently accused China of all sorts of bad behaviour there. Specifically, it has characterised China’s actions as “militarisation”, assertiveness and even “bullying” – sometimes rightly. These are serious […]