PALAUIG, ZAMBALES — Chinese encroachment at Panatag Shoal (internationally known as Scarborough Shoal) has brought nothing but hunger to fishermen in this province and nearby Pangasinan, a group of subsistence fisher folk said. In a three-page letter to President Duterte, the fishermen asked him to enforce the country’s sovereign rights over traditional Filipino fishing grounds […]
Trump’s China crackdown has big support, but it could be a problem for him The collateral damage from President Donald Trump’s trade fight with China could soon have some states feeling the squeeze. China announced tariffs on $50 billion worth of imports from the US in response to Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports, an escalation […]
The Vietnam People’s Air Force (VPAF) finally retired the last of its half-century-old MiG-21 fighter squadrons in 2015. To replace these, Vietnam has in recent years commissioned four regiments of Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 fighters, which have potentially changed the VPAF from an experienced but outdated air force into a modern force to be reckoned […]
BEIJING (Reuters) – China must lead the way in reforming global governance, the foreign ministry on Saturday cited President Xi Jinping as saying, as Beijing looks to increase its world influence. China has sought a greater say in global organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and United Nations, in line with […]
“Outer space is an asset shared by all mankind. China always advocates the peaceful use of outer space and opposes the placement of weapons and an arms race in outer space,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. “In particular, we oppose turning outer space into a battlefield.” Trump said on Monday that he […]
It is not clear what the “consequences” are that America has promised LESS than three years ago, Xi Jinping stood with Barack Obama in the Rose Garden at the White House and lied through his teeth. In response to mounting concern over China’s massive terraforming efforts in the South China Sea—satellite images showed seven artificial […]
Major disputes in the South China Sea are putting critical habitat—and the food supply of millions—at risk. PUERTO PRINCESA, PHILIPPINESOne time Christopher Tubo caught a 660-pound blue marlin in the South China Sea. That was years ago, when the fishing there was good, he says. He would come home from a trip with dozens of […]
Two recent books offer a helpful guide to Southeast Asia’s most complex maritime dispute. Asian Waters, the new book by veteran Asia journalist Humphrey Hawksley, recently became my ideal travel companion on a long flight to Australia, en route to the South China Sea. For any other reader hoping to navigate those troubled waters, or […]
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte tried to allay fears over China’s construction of military bases on man-made islands in the South China Sea, saying they are a defence against the US, not made to attack Asian states. “It’s not intended for us,” he said in a speech to Chinese-Filipino businessmen on Monday. “The contending ideological powers […]
The Radio Australia logo. It is identical to the ABC’s lissajous curve logo, but in silver. A Chinese station has taken over some of the shortwave radio frequencies once used by the ABC in the Pacific region, following the broadcaster’s decision to end shortwave services. The ABC insisted at the time the shortwave technology was […]