MANILA, Philippines — Retiring Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio will continue his crusade to defend the country’s legitimate claims in the South China Sea, former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said on Friday. “On the eve of his retirement in the Supreme Court, Justice Carpio has assured us that he will remain […]

  MANILA, Philippines – With numerous acts showing outright “bullying” of South China Sea claimant states, the United States has said it remains skeptical of China’s commitment to negotiate an effective code of conduct in the disputed waters. David Stilwell, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, expressed doubts over China’s […]

  Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – A scene in the film “Abominable” featuring a map with Beijing’s disputed South China Sea claims sparked a growing regional backlash Friday, with Malaysia cutting the segment just days after Vietnam pulled the movie entirely. The animated film about a Chinese teenager helping a yeti return to his home shows […]

  MANILA, Philippines — Beijing’s provocative actions in the disputed South China Sea prevent Southeast Asian nations from accessing resources in the area, a US Department of State official said. David Stilwell, assistant secretary of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that China’s nine-dash line claim over […]

In the middle of the night on June 9, Chinese fishing vessel Yuemaobinyu 42212 collided with Philippine fishing boat F/B Gem-Ver, which was riding at anchor near Reed Bank in the South China Sea. The Chinese ship fled the scene, leaving 22 Filipino fishers aboard a sinking Gem-Ver in peril until they were rescued by […]

  MANILA, Philippines – Contrary to what Chinese authorities previously claimed, the Chinese ship involved in the sinking of Philippine fishing boat Gem-Ver in the West Philippine Sea had been “explicitly connected” to state-backed activities, an international think tank said. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) […]

  The government of the Solomon Islands has reached a secretive deal with a Chinese company with close ties to the Communist party that grants it exclusive rights to develop Tulagi, once the seat of British colonial rule in the Pacific archipelago. The confidential arrangement has alarmed residents and raised fears that Beijing could be […]

  A Chinese vessel that collided with a Philippine ship in the South China Sea in June may have been sent to the disputed waters on enforcement duty, according to US analysts. In a report released on Wednesday, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) in Washington challenged Chinese claims that the nighttime collision on June […]

  KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia needs to boost its naval capabilities to prepare for possible conflict in the South China Sea, its foreign minister said on Thursday, even as Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy pursues non-militarization of the disputed waterway. Tensions have escalated in recent weeks, especially after a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed near islands […]

  MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese vessel that rammed and sank an anchored Filipino fishing boat near Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea in June may likely be a part of maritime militia, according to analysts. The US-based think tank Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative gathered all publicly available information on “Yuemaobinyu 42212” and concluded […]