The most important documents that were exchanged between the Philippines and China during last week’s visit of President Duterte to China were not included in the list of agreements signed that was released by Malacañang to media. One of these documents was the list of names that will constitute the inter-governmental steering committee that […]

  CHINA is driving Vietnam into America’s arms by ignoring Hanoi’s concerns that “serious developments” in the South China Sea have increased tensions between the two nations. The build-up of militarised islands by Beijing is triggering concern among the international community. Many countries and organisations are expressing their stance, which indicates they are worried about […]

  When Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met his Chinese counterpart last week he put the emphasis on international law, but Xi Jinping was unmoved – there would be no change to Beijing’s position on the South China Sea. Duterte raised the contentious issue with Xi during a five-day visit to Beijing, as he faces mounting […]

  China condemned a US naval patrol near disputed reefs in the South China Sea and called on Washington to stop infringing upon its sovereignty. On Wednesday, the guided missile destroyer USS Wayne E Meyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Fiery Cross and Mischief reefs, China’s two biggest artificial islands in the disputed Spratlys. […]

  MANILA, Philippines — China has rejected as “unwelcome” the call of the United Kingdom, France and Germany on the South China Sea claimants to respect the arbitration ruling of 2016 and the rules-based framework laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the […]

  MANILA, Philippines — Three European countries have collectively expressed their concern over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. “We are concerned about the situation in the South China Sea which could lead to insecurity and instability in the region,” the United Kingdom, France and Germany said in a statement yesterday. They called on […]

  WASHINGTON China is engaged in a long-term and consistent campaign of coercing Southeast Asian countries to abandon their legitimate rights in the East Sea, according to an American scholar. Tension escalated since the Chinese survey ship Haiyang Dizhi 8 and its escort vessels returned to Việt Nam’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) earlier this month. […]

  As the trade war with the United States continues to gather pace, manufacturers in China remain gloomy about their prospects, with the sector activity contracting for the fourth successive month in August. The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI), released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Saturday, stood at 49.5 in August, down […]

Time to draw a line in the sand against Xi Jinping’s overreach. For President Xi Jinping of China, Deng Xiaoping’s advice on how China should rise — “keeping a low profile” — was yesterday’s story. Discretion is not his thing. Since Xi became president in 2013, he has made China’s ambitions abundantly clear, upping the […]

  Beijing told visiting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte that its position on the South China Sea was not up for negotiation, a spokesman for the leader said Friday. China claims most of the contested sea, including waters close to Philippine shores, and has rejected a United Nations (UN)-backed international tribunal ruling that said its assertion […]