IMOA
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Carpio sees ‘light at end of tunnel’ in South China Sea disputes
MANILA – Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Wednesday there could be hope in the maritime disputes in the South China Sea, with China reportedly stating that it would not stop exploration activities in Reed Bank. Speaking in the online Pilipinas Conference organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute, Carpio said he sees […]
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Lorenzana: PH in line of fire if US-China conflict in South China Sea escalates into war
MANILA, Philippines—The prospect of the United States and China stumbling into full-blown conflict in the South China Sea is growing and the Philippines will get dragged into it whether it likes it or not, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said. At a forum hosted by the Stratbase ADR Institute on Wednesday (Nov. 25), the Philippine defense […]
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Biden appointees point to Asia policy pivot
As US President-elect Joseph Biden unveils his top cabinet picks, the outgoing Donald Trump administration’s hawks are bidding to box in their successors and boost their post-Trump political careers. In a crucial signal of his commitment to the international liberal order, Biden has announced the selection of a number of centrist-liberal stalwarts to top cabinet […]
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China lashes out at United States withdrawal from “Open Skies Treaty” with Russia
BEIJING: China on Monday lashed out at Washington over its withdrawal from the “Open Skies Treaty” with Russia, saying the move undermined military trust and transparency and imperilled future attempts at arms control. The treaty, to which China is not a signatory, had allowed each country overflight rights to inspect military facilities. Read more at: […]
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Dialogue, not confrontation
How should conflicting claims in the South China Sea be resolved? Preferably through peaceful means involving dialogue and consultation aimed at threshing out issues and concerns and then coming up with mutually acceptable solutions. That was the idea behind the Inaugural Symposium on Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance held in Haikou, China from November 5-6, […]
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Trump advisor vows US support for Philippines in South China Sea
US national security adviser Robert O’Brien on Monday assured the Philippines and Vietnam, countries both locked in maritime rows with China, that Washington has their backs and would fight to keep the Indo-Pacific region free and open. “Our message is we’re going to be here, we’ve got your back, and we’re not leaving,” said O’Brien, […]
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Philippines set to be first buyer of India-Russia cruise missile
NEW DELHI/MANILA — India and Russia are looking to export to the Philippines their jointly developed BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, a move that may unnerve Beijing, given its border standoff with New Delhi and territorial disputes with other neighbors in the South China Sea. https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Philippines-set-to-be-first-buyer-of-India-Russia-cruise-missile
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Spratlys pushed as marine protected area
Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario called on the government and its neighbors in Southeast Asia to agree on declaring the Spratlys a marine protected area to protect and rebuild the remaining marine life in the South China Sea. He noted that the Spratlys are the breeding grounds of fish and other marine life […]
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US-China relations: shooting down of mock ICBM was warning to Beijing, observers say
The United States was sending a clear message to China on Tuesday when it shot down a mock intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) over the Pacific Ocean, military experts said. “The SM-3 Block IIA interceptor test could be seen as a response to China launching two ‘aircraft carrier killer’ missiles into the South China Sea,” Beijing-based […]
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Quo vadis
I. The importance of the South China Sea The South China Sea, as we know, is of tremendous economic and geostrategic importance: It is where a quarter of international trade goes through and where more than half of the world’s oil tankers and merchant ships pass every year. The South China Sea is part of […]