Tag Archives: China

Palace defends legal tack in sea row

MANILA, Philippines – There is nothing weak about taking the legal and diplomatic approach to push for the country’s claims in the disputed West Philippine Sea, Malacañang maintained yesterday. On Friday, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares led a rally in front of the Chinese consulate in Makati City to protest China’s massive reclamation activities in […]

Prudent diplomacy best in handling maritime row

Our dispute with China over its claims on certain islets, reefs and shoals in the South China/West Philippine Sea may not be resolved soon. Of late, China’s aggressive unilateral acts have been making news – it has been frenetically undertaking land reclamations and construction in some of the contested maritime areas. This has spurred, besides […]

China building runway on disputed islands: reports

BEIJING — China is rapidly building an airstrip on an artificial island in disputed South China Sea waters, recent satellite pictures show, potentially ramping up tensions with several Southeast Asian neighbors. Fiery Cross in the Spratly Islands was little more than a reef when China began land reclamation works to turn it into an island […]

China’s activities in South China Sea good for maintaining security, navigation freedom: ambassador

WASHINGTON, April 16 (Xinhua) — The Chinese Ambassador to the United States said Thursday that China’s buildup of its capabilities in the South China Sea provides public goods to all and “serves the interests of maintaining security, stability and freedom of navigation there.” In a keynote speech to the International Conference on China-U.S. cooperation in […]

China may gain control of South China Sea, US navy says

HONG KONG — China’s island building program in the South China Sea may result in it gaining control of some of the world’s most important waterways, the US’ most senior military commander for Asia said. “If this activity continues at pace, is that it — those would give them de facto control” of the maritime […]

China ‘building runway in disputed South China Sea island’

The images, published by IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, show construction work on reclaimed land on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands. The landmass could accommodate a runway about 3,000m long, the report said. China’s land reclamation work in the area has raised concern around the Asia-Pacific region. China claims almost the whole of the […]

Who’s Got the Biggest Muscles in the South China Sea?

The United States and China have been trading barbs over each other’s ‘strength’ and ‘muscle’ as alarm continues to intensify about Beijing’s massive land reclamation activities in the South China Sea. U.S. President Barack Obama told a town-hall event in Jamaica last Thursday ahead of a Caribbean summit in Panama that Washington was concerned about […]

China dismisses Aquino’s call to fear Beijing over reclamation frenzy

BEIJING – China on Wednesday dismissed as “groundless” Philippine President Benigno Aquino’s warning to AFP that the Asian giant’s actions in the South China Sea should “engender fear for the rest of the world”. Aquino made his remarks in an exclusive interview on Tuesday, saying that China’s increasing bold assertions of its territorial claims could […]

Philippines seeks help from U.S. in South China Sea dispute

(Reuters) – The Philippines is seeking more “substantive” support from its long-time security ally United States on how to counter China’s rapid expansion in the South China Sea, the foreign secretary said on Wednesday. China’s rapid reclamation around seven reefs in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea has alarmed claimants, including the Philippines […]

China is building its first runway on a disputed island chain in the South China Sea

China has begun construction of a military-length runway on an artificial island in the disputed South China Sea, according to an analysis by IHS Jane’s based on satellite imagery from Airbus Defense and Space. The runway is being constructed along the Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands. According to Jane’s, the reef will be […]