By Raïssa Robles With the continuous incursions of Chinese ships into Philippine waters, a friend recently told me she is seriously thinking of migrating to another country. China might invade the Philippines, she said. When, she doesn’t know, but she said she’d rather go while still young and able to. While I see an actual […]
Asia Society / LKY SPP Conference South China Sea: Central to Asia – Pacific Peace and Security New York, March 13-15, 2013 Panel 3. Roles of International Law and Governance On 22 January 2013, the Philippines officially notified China that it had instituted arbitral proceedings against China under Annex VII of the 1982 United Nations […]
The Supreme Court yesterday issued a temporary environment protection order (TEPO) against 94 “small-scale mines” that extract nickel in Zambales. Among the “small” mines are at least five fronts of giant nickel miners from China (see Gotcha, 24 July 2013). Allegedly operating outside the allowable area, the mines are illegal, pollutive, unregulated, untaxed, and destabilizing […]
MANILA, Philippines—China is turning the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) into “one country’s lake,” Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said on Tuesday, pressing Manila’s effort to roll back Beijing’s expansive claims in the strategic waterway. Speaking before an experts’ roundtable on maritime security in Brussels, Belgium, Del Rosario said China’s assertion of ownership over […]
MANILA, Philippines – An official of the Department of National Defense (DND) confirmed Monday that Chinese ships have returned to Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal a few days after they left the area off Zambales in the West Philippine Sea. Security sources had earlier said that two Chinese maritime surveillance (CMS) vessels were sighted near Panatag Shoal […]
Two Chinese vessels have been spotted again in the disputed Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal off northern Philippines, days after it was reported that the ships have left the area, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. “Yesterday [Sunday], we received a report from the Philippine Navy confirming that Chinese ships are back in Bajo de Masinloc,” […]
Finally, some reassuring words from our American ally—the US will help enhance the Philippine military capability with emphasis on maritime security. The statement from Admiral Samuel Locklear, Commander of the US Pacific Command, to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin came at a time of rising tensions triggered by Chinese military buildup on Panatag and lately Ayungin […]
From January through May, the South China Sea dispute continued to trend in a negative direction. Consistent with the pattern of developments over the past several years, the dispute continued to be characterized by an action-reaction dynamic in which attempts by one or other of the claimants – most notably, China, the Philippines and Vietnam […]
MANILA, Philippines – There are no new Chinese structures in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal but four Chinese ships are still in the area, a defense expert monitoring West Philippine Sea issues revealed yesterday. Rommel Banlaoi of the Philippine Association of Chinese Studies said reports about the supposed buildup in Panatag Shoal are not true. “It’s a […]
While China’s brazen occupation of the Philippines’ Scarborough Shoal, located just 125 nautical miles from Masinloc, Zambales, has captured all the national and international attention, little has been mentioned about China’s occupation of the Philippine mining industry, an entirely different issue from the Filipino Chinese (“Chinoys”) domination of the Philippine economy. For example, one of […]