IMOA
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British MP in China propaganda video ‘deeply concerned’
LONDON: A British MP has complained about appearing in a video promoting Beijing’s claims in the disputed South China Sea, saying she was “deeply concerned” that her words had been misrepresented. Catherine West, a foreign affairs spokeswoman from the main opposition Labor Party specializing in the Asia-Pacific region, is briefly quoted in the video. The video shows white-sand beaches and…
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Is It an Island or a Rock? Ruling Could Cost U.S. a Huge Swath of Ocean
The U.S. and other coastal nations could lose millions of square nautical miles of ocean that are now in their exclusive economic zones. The loss would be an indirect result of an arbitration panel’s ruling on China’s dispute with the Philippines in the South China Sea. Largely overlooked in the tribunal’s July 12 decision was a strict interpretation of which…
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The South China Sea ruling and China’s Sinocentrism
The bilateral relationship between South Korea and China has advanced rapidly since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1992. But the two nations are still sharply divided on many matters. A case in point is how the two nations see the July 12th decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the South China Sea dispute. China has expressed…
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Could Law Save the South China Sea From Disaster?
Printer-friendly version The ruling by the Annex VII Tribunal on the South China Sea maritime dispute between the Philippines and China lays down an unprecedented legal benchmark for disputes in the region. The unanimous decision of the five-member Tribunal addresses in detail all of the claims made by the Philippines. Only one claim was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds. In short,…
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China tries to cover sun with palm of hand
Two weeks after the arbitral tribunal of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea issued its award to the Philippines, China continues to seek to undermine the legitimacy on the tribunal, making charges bordering on the slanderous against the judges concerned. While affirming “China’s non-acceptance and non-recognition of the so-called award,” the Chinese government ischallenging the standing…
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UN PCA ruling helps disputants worldwide
ANALYSTS have criticized the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for doing China’s bidding, which was championed by Cambodia, China’s agent country in Asean, to disregard the UNCLOS Tribunal’s landmark ruling granting the Philippine petition against China’s takeover of the Philippine territories in the South China/West Philippine Sea and ordering China to stop its aggressive activities. Some of the analysts…
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Former President Ramos’ mission
OF the many issues ruled upon by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, two are of utmost importance to the Philippines – our oil exploration at Recto Bank and fishing by Zambales fishermen at Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc. There was a finding of destruction of reefs in some islands in the South China Sea, which…
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China’s ‘might makes right’ strategy vs. international law
BERLIN – China has been expanding its frontiers ever since it came under communist rule in 1949. Yet no country dared to haul it before an international tribunal till the Philippines in 2013 invoked the dispute-settlement mechanism of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), setting in motion the arbitration proceedings that this week resulted in…
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As the Dust Settles on South China Sea Award, the Neighbourhood Reacts Cautiously
Some countries may want to use the verdict to needle China, but the neighbourhood has reacted cautiously, to ensure that any gains from political negotiations are not undone by the award. A fisherman repairs his boat overlooking fishing boats that fish in the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, at Masinloc, Zambales, in the Philippines April 22, 2015.…
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Vietnam says it prefers bilateral talks with China on South China Sea
In this Nov. 24, 2015, image provided by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, a tribunal of five arbitrators, seated top right, hears the case regarding the Philippines and China on the South China Sea at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague, the Netherlands. A landmark ruling on an arbitration case filed by the Philippines that seeks to…