CHINA has smuggled crude oil from Iran via the South China Sea so they did not have to pay tough international sanctions as tensions soar between the world’s super powers. A huge 910,000 tonnes of crude oil was offloaded at Chinese ports during the month of September after it was transferred in the South […]
BEIJING has launched a visa crackdown on US citizens with links to anti-China groups as tensions between the two countries threaten to boil over. Ministry of Public Security chiefs are bringing in visa restrictions to limit the ability of anyone employed or sponsored by US intelligence services and human rights groups to travel to […]
SAN FRANCISCO — China’s critics from different countries took turns lambasting it in front of its San Francisco consulate as the People’s Republic marked its 70th founding anniversary. Leaders and members of the Filipino, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Hong Kong and Muslim Uyghur communities converged for the first time to denounce Beijing’s “bullying tactics” not only […]
MANILA, Philippines — The week-long maritime exercises of the Philippines, United States, and Japan are not in any way connected to the country’s territorial dispute in the South China Sea. “First of all, this is not something related to the South China Sea. Let us be clear on that,” Brig. Gen. Ariel Caculitan, exercise […]
RUSSIA and the Philippines look set to conclude a monumental infrastructure project according to reports. President Rodrigo Duterte recently travelled to Russia where he met with senior Russian officials. Following the visit, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III announced that Moscow was very interested in agreeing on an energy partnership in a huge blow […]
What Happened: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly invited Russian oil giant Rosneft to conduct oil exploration operations in the South China Sea during a visit to Moscow last week, the South China Morning Post reported Oct. 8. Why It Matters: Duterte has long attempted to maintain a diplomatic balancing act between China and the […]
Prague’s decision to end its sister-city agreement with Beijing reflects “tangible anger” in the Czech Republic over the president’s pro-China policies, analysts say. The Prague city council voted on Monday to pull out of the partnership deal after mayor Zdenek Hrib’s unsuccessful bid to get Beijing to remove a “one China” pledge from the […]
MOSCOW and Beijing could be on a collision course in the South China Sea after the Philippines invited Russian oil giant Rosneft to join it as an oil and gas exploration partner in the disputed waters. Russian activities in the region have been under scrutiny since July when Chinese survey ship Haiyang Dizhi 8 […]
During World War II Japan found that control of islands offered some strategic advantages, but not enough to force the United States to reduce each island individually. Moreover, over time the islands became a strategic liability, as Japan struggled to keep them supplied with food, fuel and equipment. The islands of the SCS are conveniently […]
Duterte needs one eye on Beijing while dealing with Rosneft, observers say The Philippines is following Vietnam in courting Russia as an oil and gas exploration partner in the South China Sea, where China also lays claim to the waters. Observers said that while relations with Beijing are high on President Vladimir Putin’s agenda […]