KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – It was just a one liner among a host of policy shifts announced by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad after the weekly Cabinet meeting. Malaysia, said the Prime Minister, preferred if there were no warships within its waters in the South China Sea and Straits of Malacca. When pressed, […]

MANILA, Philippines — Staying true to its commitment to uphold freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea, France might be leading other European nations to stand up against China’s aggression in the region. China, however, continues to guard international ships passing through the South China Sea, which they claim as their own. In […]

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 12:14 p.m.) — Despite the “red lines” that the Philippines has set for China, the Chinese continue to harass Filipino fishermen in Panatag or Scarborough Shoal. Cayetano hails fishermen’s access to West Philippine Sea; Alejano questions continued harassment Duterte clueless on Chinese harassment of Filipino troops on Ayungin Shoal In the report, […]

When leaders of the Group of 7 countries meet in Quebec on Friday, the United States can expect a chilly reception. The other G-7 countries — France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Japan and Canada — have already expressed “unanimous concern and disappointment” with President Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum in a joint statement issued by […]

The reported harassment of Filipino fishermen of by Chinese coast guards may not be enough a basis to file a diplomatic protest against China for its intrusion in the Scarborough Shoal. This was according to Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, who, in a radio interview this afternoon, said he does not see that the recent […]

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is verifying reports that a Chinese military aircraft landed at the Davao City International Airport last week. “We would have to check with the Intelligence and Security Unit of the Department, which is in charge of issuing diplomatic clearances for all foreign military aircraft entering Philippine […]

President Rodrigo Duterte said he was unaware of the harassment of Filipino troops by Chinese forces at Ayungin Shoal in the Spratly archipelago last month, which Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said the Philippines had protested. In a talk with reporters at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesday night after returning from an official visit […]

Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano days earlier told lawmakers that President Duterte had given ‘strong instructions’ after hearing about the harassment incident in Ayungin Shoal NO KNOWLEDGE? President Rodrigo Duterte sits with Cabinet members during a gathering of Filipinos based in South Korea. Malacañang photo MANILA, Philippines – Despite his own Foreign Secretary telling lawmakers […]

The latest harassment of Philippine troops by China in Ayungin is part of a pattern. In 2013, the Armed Forces had already reported that China eyed to occupy the shoal which lies within the country’s EEZ. Gary Alejano, the Magdalo party-list member in the House of Representatives, has become our eyes and ears in the […]

France and Britain are set to sail through the South China Sea next week, joining international efforts to stand up to the Asian military superpower. MANILA, Philippines – France and Britain announced they will sail through the South China Sea next week to join international efforts to stand up to China’s increasing aggressiveness in the […]