September 2020
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Philippines eyeing retired gas platforms near Recto Bank as Navy observation posts
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 […]
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China is doubling down on its territorial claims and that’s causing conflict across Asia
(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, […]
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China’s refusal to honor PCA ruling may stall code of conduct — Carpio
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 […]
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South China Sea threat: Beijing issued warning on disputed claim to waters amid WW3 fears
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 […]
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Boris Johnson launches new drive against Beijing’s ‘expansionism’ among poorer countries
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 […]
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STATEMENT ON THE ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT DUTERTE TO THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2020
By Amb. Albert Del Rosario Date: September 23, 2020 We welcome the fact that President Duterte invoked the 2016 Arbitral Award won by the Philippines against China regarding the South China Sea at the 75th UN General Assembly (UNGA). This is the first time that our President addressed the UNGA and we are heartened to […]
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Statement of Justice Antonio T Carpio (Ret.) on the Speech of President Rodrigo Duterte before the United Nations General Assembly
I personally commend the strong stand that President Rodrigo Duterte made before the UN General Assembly that the arbitral award in the South China Sea Arbitration is “beyond compromise and beyond the reach of passing governments to dilute, diminish or abandon.” It is heartening that President Duterte has welcomed “the increasing number of states that […]
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Appeasing China Won’t Cool the Earth
As policy makers in Beijing weigh their options in the event of a Biden victory, one of the subjects that will most engage their attention is climate change. Joe Biden has repeatedly stated that he will put the goal of slowing climate change at the heart of U.S. foreign policy. Washington would rejoin the Paris […]
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Diplomatic protest not needed vs. countries with no active conflict with PH — Locsin
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 21) — There is no need to file diplomatic protests against countries with no active conflict with the Philippines over the South China Sea, the Foreign Affairs secretary said. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. told lawmakers in a House budget hearing on Monday that he sees no […]
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Philippines Won’t Follow China on Excluding West in Disputed Sea
The Philippines’ top diplomat said the country would not follow China’s stance of keeping Western powers — including the U.S. — out of the disputed South China Sea. The South China Sea Code of Conduct that Southeast Asian nations are crafting with Beijing won’t lead to western countries’ exclusion from the waters, Philippine Foreign Secretary […]