The leadership of the Philippine Navy welcomed on Sunday the recognition by France, Germany and the United Kingdom of the 2016 tribunal ruling that validates the Philippines’ claim over South China (West Philippine) Sea. VAdm. Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, Navy chief, was referring to the joint note verbale by the European countries, making a stand as […]

The United States and China have stepped up their efforts to win the affections of thePhilippinesof late as the two powers remainlocked in a fight for supremacy on multiple fronts, not least theSouth China Sea. On Friday, the agriculture ministry in Manila announced that a US-funded animal disease laboratory had opened in the Central Luzon […]

MANILA – France, Germany and the United Kingdom filed a joint note verbale with the United Nations in New York, rejecting China’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea. In a note verbale dated Sept. 16, the three nations said that “historic rights” over the South China Sea waters “do not comply” with international law […]

MANILA, Philippines — Despite its P4.5 billion in confidential and intelligence funds this year, Malacañang was “not aware” that a Chinese company that bagged the Sangley airport project had been blacklisted by the United States for its involvement in island building in the West Philippine Sea. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea made the admission on Monday […]

CHINA has warned it’s “ready for war” after 11,000 US troops were sent to Guam for massive military drills. The soldiers – along with America’s largest warships and 100 planes – are training to defend the crucial Pacific island. But the move has sparked warnings from China, which has declared that it’s “militarily and morally […]

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has called for the resumption of negotiations between Southeast Asian nations and China for a code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea which has been been hampered by the coronavirus pandemic. Despite travel restrictions that precluded face-to-face meetings, Locsin called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations […]

BEIJING has been blasted by Indonesia after an armed Chinese boat patrolled waters claimed by both sides. The Chinese vessel, also known as CCG 5204, was equipped with a machine gun mounted on the front. The country’s coast guard claimed the gun was only intended to be used as a defence against pirates, according to […]

The Bhutanese rulers have been sensitised at the highest level and have been asked to prepare for a military contingency plan After Ladakh and the South China Sea, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is poised to open another front against Bhutan, with a build-up in western and central part of Kingdom in a bid to […]

With the US in turmoil, the world distracted by the pandemic mixed with China’s unbridled ambition, the next 10 months will be the most dangerous since World War II, a top Australian strategic analyst warns. “The global economy may be in hibernation, but geopolitics is thriving and sprinting towards a potential crisis,” Australian Strategic Studies […]

In a world of words, the saber rattling in any theatre of conflict can get all sides to the very edge of war. Thus, the fiery exchanges between the United States and China lately, perhaps also between half of the European states and Beijing, should be handled with extreme caution. On the South China Sea, […]