In a startling claim, Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday said China’s leaders intimated during top-level talks recently that “they do agree that those areas” in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) “are ours.” Without elaborating as he had no authority to speak for the President, Sotto said there were looming positive developments in confidential […]

Pact expected to give China exclusive South China Sea exploration rights would put Filipino fishing communities at risk. San Salvador Island, Philippines – It is 6:30am on a Sunday morning and Rony Drio, 51, is on his way out into the water. He tosses his net and snorkelling gear into his small wooden boat, an […]

When Gen. Wei Fenghe, China’s defense minister, took to the stage at the Xiangshan security forum organized by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Beijing last month, he assured delegations from 64 countries that China’s military “has always been a staunch defender of world peace.” Yet in the same breath, he issued a sharp warning: […]

High-level talks now set for Friday as world’s two largest economies look for ways to resolve damaging trade war. The United States and China will hold top-level diplomatic and security talks in Washington, DC, on Friday, amid moves to try and resolve a damaging trade war. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary James Mattis, […]

The US and China will hold a second round of high-level diplomatic and security talks in Washington on Friday in a show of willingness for the two sides to continue communications amid rising tensions in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James Mattis will […]

A CHINESE naval commander warned a US warship those on board would “suffer consequences” if it did not change course in the run-up to a near-miss in the South China Sea, according to military documents obtained by the MoD. The Luyang destroyer issued the verbal warning to the USS Decatur seconds before the Chinese ship […]

The crew of a Chinese warship sent a friendly greeting to Japanese sailors aboard a helicopter carrier they encountered in the South China Sea recently in what analysts said was a further sign, albeit superficial, of the warming ties between the two Asian giants. The incident happened late last month when China’s Luyang-II class guided-missile […]

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 6) — Malacañang said it will await confirmation on reports that China has set up weather stations on areas in the South China Sea and assured that the government will take action if this is proven true. “The government will undertake appropriate actions once these reports are properly validated,” Presidential […]

MANILA, Philippines — It would never be too late to assert the Philippines’ claims in the West Philippine Sea because an international arbitral court had ruled in favor of Manila on the maritime row, Malacañang said Monday. The Philippines calls the portion of the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone the West Philippine […]

China’s commander-in-chief has ordered the military command overseeing the contested South China Sea to “concentrate preparations for fighting a war,” according to the South China Morning Post. Chinese President Xi Jinping inspected the Southern Theater Command Thursday, again stressing the need build a force that can “fight and win wars” in the modern age. “We […]