The main agenda of the gathering of nearly 300 of the party’s most influential members is to “discuss important issues concerning how to uphold and improve the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and make progress in modernising China’s system and capacity for governance”, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. But one should […]
The new head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has said he does not expect a “shooting war” to occur in the South China Sea, despite Manila’s diplomatic protests against China’s intrusions into its territorial waters. “I don’t think it’s going to the point that there is going to be an actual conflict, […]
MANILA, Philippines — Sports entertainment giant ESPN broadcast on Wednesday a controversial map of China showing the already disproven “nine-dash line” used to illustrate its claim over virtually the entire South China Sea which was invalidated in a 2016 ruling by an international tribunal. The said map shown for about four seconds in the […]
The growing influence of the Chinese military across Southeast Asia and beyond is compelling the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, which have traditionally shied away from collective regional security, to look at the issue with a new focus. The People’s Liberation Army’s regional activities have pushed the ASEAN countries to put their […]
CHINA has smuggled crude oil from Iran via the South China Sea so they did not have to pay tough international sanctions as tensions soar between the world’s super powers. A huge 910,000 tonnes of crude oil was offloaded at Chinese ports during the month of September after it was transferred in the South […]
BEIJING has launched a visa crackdown on US citizens with links to anti-China groups as tensions between the two countries threaten to boil over. Ministry of Public Security chiefs are bringing in visa restrictions to limit the ability of anyone employed or sponsored by US intelligence services and human rights groups to travel to […]
SAN FRANCISCO — China’s critics from different countries took turns lambasting it in front of its San Francisco consulate as the People’s Republic marked its 70th founding anniversary. Leaders and members of the Filipino, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Hong Kong and Muslim Uyghur communities converged for the first time to denounce Beijing’s “bullying tactics” not only […]
MANILA, Philippines — The week-long maritime exercises of the Philippines, United States, and Japan are not in any way connected to the country’s territorial dispute in the South China Sea. “First of all, this is not something related to the South China Sea. Let us be clear on that,” Brig. Gen. Ariel Caculitan, exercise […]
RUSSIA and the Philippines look set to conclude a monumental infrastructure project according to reports. President Rodrigo Duterte recently travelled to Russia where he met with senior Russian officials. Following the visit, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III announced that Moscow was very interested in agreeing on an energy partnership in a huge blow […]
What Happened: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly invited Russian oil giant Rosneft to conduct oil exploration operations in the South China Sea during a visit to Moscow last week, the South China Morning Post reported Oct. 8. Why It Matters: Duterte has long attempted to maintain a diplomatic balancing act between China and the […]