IN the second case* where we shot ourselves in the foot in the arbitration case against China brought by President Benigno Aquino 3rd and his Foreign secretary Albert del Rosario, the tribunal in effect ruled that we can’t have our Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), since this would violate provisions of the United Nations Convention […]

  The Senkakus, a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea claimed by Japan and China, are seen from the air in 2010. CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Japan plans to bolster defenses around its disputed southern island chain by creating a specialized police force that will respond to any incursions in the East […]

  MANILA (PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Talk about great expectations. Days before President Duterte’s fifth visit to China, his officials announced that the time has come for him to raise the country’s legal victory at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mr Duterte […]

THE UK, France and Germany expressed their collective concern over the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The European countries, known as the E3, released a joint statement on the “tensions” among coastal states along the South China Sea that could lead to “instability” in the region. All three are state parties of the […]

  MORE precisely, not really “us” but former President Benigno Aquino 3rd and his incompetent foreign secretary Albert del Rosario who shot our Republic in the foot by filing in 2013 the arbitration case against China, invoking the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). They didn’t even consult Congress or any other […]

  MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte struck an apologetic tone during his meeting last week with Chinese President Xi Jinping where he raised the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s claim over nearly the entire South China Sea. “The President said, ‘I didn’t want to alarm you with what I’m about to raise because […]

  AN OPPOSITION senator yesterday asked the presidential palace to disclose details of the agreements signed between the Philippines and China during President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s recent visit to Beijing. “It’s our territory and it’s our natural resources,” Senator Francis N. Pangilinan said in a statement. “The Filipino people have all the right to be […]

  The most important documents that were exchanged between the Philippines and China during last week’s visit of President Duterte to China were not included in the list of agreements signed that was released by Malacañang to media. One of these documents was the list of names that will constitute the inter-governmental steering committee that […]

  CHINA is driving Vietnam into America’s arms by ignoring Hanoi’s concerns that “serious developments” in the South China Sea have increased tensions between the two nations. The build-up of militarised islands by Beijing is triggering concern among the international community. Many countries and organisations are expressing their stance, which indicates they are worried about […]

  When Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met his Chinese counterpart last week he put the emphasis on international law, but Xi Jinping was unmoved – there would be no change to Beijing’s position on the South China Sea. Duterte raised the contentious issue with Xi during a five-day visit to Beijing, as he faces mounting […]