IMOA
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PH begins stamping Chinese passports despite ‘propaganda’ sea map
MANILA (UPDATE)—The Philippine immigration bureau announced Wednesday it would resume stamping passports of visiting Chinese nationals, following Manila’s reversal of a 7-year-old policy protesting Beijing’s expansive maritime claim. Immigration officers were instructed to now place arrival and departure stamps next to Philippine visas on Chinese passports, Commissioner Jaime Morente said in a statement. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier gave the…
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Duterte, Abe: COC crucial in South China Sea
BANGKOK—President Du-terte and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed the South China Sea issue, particularly the need for a Code of Conduct, as the way to go to address tensions in the region. Presidential Spokesman and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador S. Panelo said this is one of the key regional and international concerns raised during the bilateral meeting…
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Beijing intimidating Asean countries – US
BANGKOK: The United States on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) accused China of intimidation in the South China (West Philippine) Sea as it put forward its strongest language yet rejecting Beijing’s claims in the strategic, dispute-rife waters. US National Security advisor Robert O’Brien attends the 14th East Asia Summit in Bangkok on November 4, 2019, on the sidelines of the…
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South China Sea conflict fears surge as China’s row with US dubbed ‘worse than Cold War’
CHINA and the US’ battle for supremacy in the South China Sea is heating up, and one expert told Express.co.uk that one element of the ensuing row between Washington and Beijing is worse than what was seen during the Cold War. Asian countries convened last weekend at the Bangkok ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit to discuss the…
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US urges legal action to counter Beijing in South China Sea
BANGKOK — U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser on Monday called on countries intimidated by Beijing in the South China Sea to seek arbitration, as Washington put pressure on China at one of Asia’s largest diplomatic gatherings. Robert O’Brien, who represented Trump during the ASEAN Summit and related meetings, also announced an initiative aimed at countering China’s Belt…
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South China Sea code eyed by 2021
A Chinese warship tried to drive away a Filipino-crewed commercial vessel that sailed near Scarborough Shoal in late September. But the Filipino captain of the Liberia-flagged oil tanker stood his ground, insisting on the vessel’s right to passage. The incident came as Southeast Asian nations were negotiating a code of conduct with Beijing to manage tensions in the South…
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US envoy decries Chinese ‘intimidation’ in South China Sea
A U.S. envoy on Monday denounced Chinese “intimidation” in the South China Sea at a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders, and conveyed an invitation from President Donald Trump for the leaders to attend a special summit in the United States. “Beijing has used intimidation to try to stop ASEAN nations from exploiting the off-shore resources, blocking access to 2.5…
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Asean should ask China whether it respects their EEZs in South China Sea
ABSENT this recognition, it has been impossible to move even a millimeter forward discussions on the long proposed Code of Conduct (COC) on the South China Sea between Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China. At the annual summit of the Asean in Bangkok, Thailand over the weekend, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang made a number of declarations and…
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The ANC Brief: Self-restraint in the disputed waters
Trade woes It’s the last day of the ASEAN Summit in Thailand. Reports said the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which some have called the world’s largest trade pact that includes ASEAN countries, has been pushed back to 2020. China has been backing the pact and needs it more now to soften the impact of its…
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Alleged harassment of Pinoy-crewed ship ‘not our concern,’ says Panelo
NONTHABURI, Thailand – The alleged harassment of a Liberian-flagged commercial vessel by a “Chinese naval ship” near Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc is “not a concern” for the Philippines, Malacañang said on Sunday. This was despite the commercial vessel being manned by Filipino seafarers and Bajo de Masinloc being within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone. “It’s not our…