Jakarta: A joint statement by south-east Asian nations on the South China Sea has highlighted the “powerlessness” of ASEAN and the “significant divide” between countries in the region, as China continues to exert pressure on some members over the issue, an expert says. After days of talks at a meeting in Laos and a deadlock […]

Beijing: The Australian government has issued a strong joint statement with the United States and Japan calling on China to abide by a Hague tribunal’s ruling on the South China Sea. The three countries issued the statement late on Monday at the conclusion of the trilateral strategic dialogue held between Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop […]

VIENTIANE (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday he supported the resumption of talks between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea, following an international court ruling against Beijing over the dispute earlier this month. China did not participate in and has refused to accept the July 12 ruling […]

A FOREIGN ship is seen docked near a port area in Sta. Cruz, Zambales province. This ship was reportedly among those that transferred thick deposits of earth from three mountains in the province to China’s reclamation site near the disputed Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. ALLAN MACATUNO/INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON A FOREIGN ship is seen docked near a […]

“India believes that States should resolve disputes through peaceful means without threat or use of force and exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate or escalate disputes affecting peace and stability,” he said. Identifying maritime cooperation as a key priority, India on Tuesday called for all stakeholders in the South China Sea […]

VIENTIANE, Laos—Vietnam has warned that the inability of Southeast Asian nations to forge a unified front against Beijing’s militarization of the South China Sea is a “test” of the regional bloc in the face of its greatest security challenge. The unusually strong comments from a key claimant to the contested waters, comes as diplomats meet […]

On July 14, Taiwan’s ex-president Ma Ying-jeou held up a bottle of water during a press conference to prove a key point—that 400-meter-wide Itu Aba, the largest feature in the contested Spratly archipelago, is clearly not a rock. The water, sourced from the feature Taiwan calls Taiping Dao, is proof that it is actually an […]

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 25, hailed an arbitral tribunal’s historic ruling on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). “With regard to the West Philippine Sea, otherwise known as the China Sea (sic), we strongly affirm and respect the outcome of […]

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday he would “strongly affirm and respect” the outcome of an international court’s ruling that invalidated China’s vast claims in resource-rich waters in favor of the Philippines. In his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), Duterte said the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) would help […]