JAKARTA — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says unannounced, unilateral actions in contested waters of the South China Sea challenge regional stability. After meeting with leaders in Beijing to discuss rival maritime claims between China, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia, Kerry then traveled to Indonesia on Saturday, where officials are working with the Association […]
BEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday stated China’s basic view and policy on the South China Sea during talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Wang said the overall situation in the South China Sea is stable. China is capable and confident of working with members of the […]
MANILA, Philippines – Beijing’s intentions in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea are perplexing, but would not distract the Philippines from its resolve to defend its territory through peaceful means, President Aquino said in an interview with The New York Times last Tuesday. In the interview, Aquino also said he would like the […]
MANILA, Philippines – Right is might, and not the other way around, Malacañang said yesterday amid a territorial row with China. “There is a need for all to stand up for what is right,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said, stressing that “it should be right is might.” The sentiment was echoed […]
During President Ferdinand Marcos’ State Visit to China in 1975 to establish diplomatic relations, among China’s leaders he met was First Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping. During this meeting, Marcos raised the issue of the Spratlys but Deng said that this issue should be left to future generations to discuss. China lays claim to all of the […]
For the first time, the United States government has come out publicly with an explicit statement that the so-called “nine-dash line,” which the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan assert delineates their claims in the South China Sea, is contrary to international law. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Danny […]
In response to reports by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun that a South China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) was imminent, following on the heels of the East China Sea ADIZ, China has accused Japan of spreading rumors. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei, in a press release quoted by Xinhua, said that “We sternly warned these forces not […]
There are always two sides to the question. This is especially true with the recent Chinese reiteration of rules about fishing in the South China Sea. The rules are not new. It has been there for decades but those who were more interested in escalating conflict between the two countries worked overtime to interpret it […]
MANILA, Philippines – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has expressed concern over recent developments in the South China Sea, after China imposed a controversial new fisheries law requiring all foreign vessels to obtain approval from Chinese authorities before engaging in fishing or surveying activities. China earlier imposed an Air Defense Identification Zone over […]
MANILA, Philippines – Joining a United Nations arbitration process to resolve territorial disputes is the course of action China should take and not just meeting Manila “halfway” on a controversial fisheries regulation in disputed waters, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday. “The nine-dash line claim is in gross violation of international law. It […]