Satellite images captured by Taiwan indicate that Vietnam is pushing for land reclamation much harder than China in the disputed South China Sea, the Christian Science Monitor reported on Sept. 23. Wang Cheng-gi from the Satellite Surveying Center of the Department of Land Administration under Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior, who is in charge of […]
UNITED NATIONS – “Can international law be a law when it can be ignored or broken by states without any consequence?” Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Libran Cabactulan raised this question as he hosted a discussion at the UN on a topic closely related to the Philippines’ historic arbitration case against China on the […]
India will soon be supplying naval vessels to Vietnam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, the first significant military transfer to Hanoi at a time when it is embroiled in a territorial dispute with China. The announcement came after Modi held talks with his visiting Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Tan Dung, during which the two […]
This resumes Wednesday’s piece, “China’s Own Ancient Maps Disprove Beijing Sea Claim.” The article detailed 15 maps of China, 1136-1933, by Chinese officials and citizens. Their common feature: Hainan Island (ancient names Zhuya, Qiongya, Qiongzhou) always has been China’s southernmost territory. Supreme Court Senior Justice Antonio T. Carpio dug up the maps. They belie Beijing’s […]
China’s leading diplomat has arranged to visit Vietnam next week, five months since tensions between the two countries erupted over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea. Yang Jiechi will meet with Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on 27 October, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement, where the two will discuss “Sino-Vietnam […]
In a dramatic display of strategic naiveté, the Philippines decided (early-October) to suspend the repair and upgrade of its age-old airstrip on the Spratly island of Thitu (Pagasa to the Filipinos), among the biggest and most prized land features in the South China Sea, which can generate its own 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The […]
MANILA, Philippines (AP) The Philippine president said Wednesday that the international arbitration Manila has initiated to challenge China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and a legally binding “Code of Conduct” are the only ways to settle the long-raging disputes peacefully. The Philippines says that China has been intruding into its exclusive economic zone, […]
Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario had a press conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry prior to their meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. Different state representtives are in Indonesia for the inauguration of Joko Widodo, new President of Indonesia, yesterday, October 20. Kerry also used the opportunity to hold meetings with state leaders to strengthen […]
(Reuters) – Taiwan is considering stationing armed vessels permanently on a disputed South China Sea island, officials said, a move bound to renew friction in a region claimed almost wholly by China, with Vietnam already dismissing such a plan as “illegal”. The potentially energy-rich Spratly islands are one of the main flashpoints in the South China Sea, with claims […]