MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is setting its sights on moving its main headquarters from Manila to the Subic Bay Freeport for bigger space for its growing number of personnel, facilities, vessels and equipment. Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade recently sought the help of Japan, INQUIRER.net learned from a government source familiar with the request. […]

Richard Heydarian is an Asia-based academic, columnist and author of “The Rise of Duterte: A Populist Revolt Against Elite Democracy” and the “The Indo-Pacific: Trump, China and the New Struggle for Global Mastery.” Throughout the years, Facebook has served as the unwitting enabler of populists and right-wing elements across the world. The social media company […]

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) technocrats must have experienced some unease when President Duterte decided that he would address the 75th UN General Assembly. He would join this annual ritual, even if only in virtual mode, for the first time, since his election in 2016. During his term, he has not found many kind words […]

China’s nine-dash line historical claim to 85.7 percent of the South China Sea has been exposed as the fake history of the millennium. An arbitral tribunal formed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) has ruled with finality that China’s claim has no basis in fact and in law. However, […]

MANILA (UPDATE) – The Philippine Navy chief on Saturday inspected two retired gas platforms being considered for conversion into military observation posts for Recto Bank and the Malampaya gas field in the West Philippine Sea. The visit of Flag Officer In Command Navy Vice Admiral Giovanni Bacordo to Nido and Matinloc gas platforms came as […]

(CNN) — Since taking power in 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping has helped cement China’s position as a global superpower — and pushed forward an aggressive foreign policy, making bolder moves in several key flashpoints across Asia. From the South China Sea to the Himalayan Sino-Indian border, and even in one of its own cities, […]

MANILA, Philippines — With China’s possible resistance to the inclusion of the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC), retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio is not optimistic that the said accord will be completed before President Rodrigo Dutere leaves office. “I’m […]

China claims it has historic right of ownership to almost the entire South China Sea, despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling saying Beijing’s claim had no legal basis under international law. But the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims to parts of it. DWF’s Head of Transport, Jonathan Moss, has explained […]

Boris Johnson has ordered diplomats to launch a new drive against Chinese ‘expansionism’ after Beijing was accused of placing pressure on Barbados to remove the Queen as its head of state. The island is one of dozens of countries which form part of China’s ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, under which Beijing lends money to poorer […]