November 2019
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Duterte: WPS claim continues but war with China not an option
President Duterte said he was more inclined to settle for now with the economic gains in the West Philippine Sea that he negotiated with China instead of waging war against the giant neighbor over the South China Sea dispute. In an interview with CNN Philippines, Duterte reiterated that setting aside the 2016 Hague Ruling could […]
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US Sending Ships to South China Sea to Teach Beijing, Not Fight It
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – An unusually strong surge of U.S. Navy activity this month in the South China Sea shows that Washington is trying to teach China a set of rules for operating in contested waters, official statements and scholars say. The Navy sent two ships into the Asian sea, which is increasingly controlled by […]
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Goading the country to go to war
A Greek-owned tanker carrying a Liberian flag on its way to Longkou, China passed though the South China Sea on Sept. 30, 2019. The ship named Green Aura is owned by the Aegean Company and manned by a Filipino ship captain named Manolo Ebora with 22 Filipino crew members on board. Ebora is a reserve […]
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Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand: the new frontiers in US-China battle for influence
AS US-CHINA RIVALRY INTENSIFIES, SMALLER STATES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA SEEK A WAY TO THRIVE When it comes to establishing a new regional partner, American relations with its former cold war nemesis Vietnam surprisingly hold the most promise. From security and energy to aviation, bilateral ties show encouraging gains, although problems persist. In Hanoi, Esper met […]
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China issues warning to US after warships pass disputed islands
BEIJING — This is your recent look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple territorial disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons. The waters are a major shipping route for global commerce and are rich in fish and possible oil and gas reserves. CHINA ISSUES […]
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South China Sea tensions hot and getting hotter
The United States and China have doubled down on their struggle for dominance of the South China Sea and broader Indo-Pacific, as recent sea confrontations and fiery rhetoric threaten to escalate into conflict. Bolstered by its ever-expanding and rapidly modernizing Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), China has shown diminishing restraint in deterring, intercepting and […]
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Ex-SC Justice Carpio: China gained what it lost from 2016 arbitral ruling
RETIRED Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio on Tuesday said China should not begrudge the ruling of the international tribunal annulling its historic claim to the whole South China Sea (SCS) “because it gained what it lost by having the means to explore the resources of the high seas.” Keynoting the 50th Anniversary of the […]
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NGCP on security risk: Chinese just technical advisers
MANILA, Philippines — The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) on Wednesday played down concerns that China had control over the country’s power grid and disputed claims that the Chinese could remotely access the company’s computer network. In a statement on Wednesday, NGCP president and CEO Anthony Almeda said the company welcomed “senators […]
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Beijing turns South China Sea code into barrier for US and Japan
TOKYO — China has changed tack on a proposed South China Sea code of conduct with Southeast Asian countries, potentially paving the way to exclude rivals, including the U.S. and Japan, from the hotly contested waters. Initially aimed to curb Beijing’s maritime expansion, the draft code includes language that could bar Washington and Tokyo […]
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South China Sea crisis: China warns US not to provoke ‘mishap’ after intercepting US ship
CHINA has sent a chilling warning to the US President Donald Trump not to provoke a “mishap” after US warships patrolled the contested waters of the South China Sea last week, infuriating Beijing. President Xi Jinping urged the US to stop “provocative actions” in the region, as the two superpower leaders battle for political and […]