October 2016
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Asean unity can challenge Beijing on its South China Sea claims: Expert
NEW DELHI: Asean Unity can challenge Beijing on its claims over the South China Sea, noted an expert on the subject. “If anybody can challenge China, it is the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations),” said Baladas Ghoshal, ex JNU professor and Secretary General of the Society for Indian Ocean Studies (SIOS), which organised the […]
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South China Sea has become flashpoint between American status quo and Chinese naval ambitions
The South China Sea has become the flashpoint between the ambitions of rising superpower China and a decades-long regional status quo upheld by the United States. The Spratly Islands, a small group of reefs and shoals off the eastern coast of the Philippine island of Palawan, has become the focal point of that struggle. Tensions […]
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‘Misunderstanding’ may lead to conflict between US and China over South China Sea, expert warns
One of the United States’ most senior ex-military officers has warned that China and the US risk open conflict over the South China Sea because of basic misunderstandings between the two nations. The former head of National Intelligence and US Pacific Command, retired Admiral Dennis Blair, told Four Corners he does not believe either America […]
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The South China Sea after ´Philippines v. China´: Summer of Our Discontent?
Although the July 2016 verdicts by the Permanent Court of Arbitration weighed heavily against China’s claims in the South China Sea, Marc Lanteigne knows that the court’s decision is hardly the last word on the subject. At the moment, a cooling-off period would be ideal, but there are several variables which may or may not […]
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Singapore Worried Most About Fishermen and Coast Guards in South China Sea
The risk of a clash in the South China Sea lies with non-military ships, Singapore’s defense minister said, as China deploys more heavily armed coast guard vessels in the disputed waters. Singapore has joined other nations in the region and the U.S. in warning the reliance on fishing boats and coast guards to assert territorial […]
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Sleeping with the Wrong Enemy
WHY IS President Duterte bent on sleeping with the wrong “enemy” (China), and insulting an old ally (America) which can help us deal more effectively with our big northern neighbor that reportedly undermines human societies through the dangerous drugs it manufactures and smuggles worldwide? He himself has told the media a number of times that […]
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Tracking China’s Compliance with the South China Sea Arbitral Award
Since the arbitral tribunal formed pursuant to the UN Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) handed China a stunning legal defeat in July, China has loudly proclaimed its intention to ignore the arbitral award. For most analysts of the region, it has been a working assumption that China has not and will not […]
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France Unveils Its Defense Strategy in the South China Sea and Beyond
In less than two weeks, the situation in the South China Sea has deteriorated at an accelerated pace: a joint Sino-Russian naval exercise; plans for Japan-U.S. joint patrols in the same area; Taiwan building anti-craft gun towers on Itu Aba; Jakarta trying to get U.S. help to upgrade its naval bases. In all of these […]
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Golez: Filipinos must remain vigilant in the face of China’s charm offensive
“China should first renounce its claims on our Exclusive Economic Zone and withdraw their forces and dismantle their facilities within our EEZ before the Philippines can even consider China a good faith friend.” While in Vietnam, I am sure the President will see how Vietnam has stood up for centuries against giant neighbor China, engaging […]
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Philippine, Chinese coast guards cross paths anew near Panatag Shoal
Philippine and Chinese coast guard vessels engaged once again in another close encounter at the West Philippine Sea. A report of Oscar Oida on GMA News TV’s “News To Go” program featured a video recorded from the Philippines’ BRP Nueva Ecija showing the encounter that ocurred on Friday. The vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard […]