IMOA
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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, on a visit to the…
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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 that give food and sustenance…
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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 military expert Zhou Chenming said.…
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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 an area that has long…
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ASEAN concerned about South China Sea disputes
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has expressed concern over territorial disputes between some of its members and China in the South China Sea. It called for a peaceful resolution to the matter. Vietnam chaired the four-day virtual ASEAN summit meeting, which wrapped up on Sunday. The chairperson released a statement on Wednesday. The statement said, “We discussed the situation…
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Canada opposes military build-up in South China Sea
Canadian defense minister Harjit Sajjan has made it clear that his nation is against militarization in the South China Sea. “Canada opposes unilateral actions that have escalated tensions in the region and undermined stability in the South China Sea. We are against the threat or use of force, large-scale land reclamation, building outposts on disputed entities and using them for…
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‘Don’t Hurt Interest Of Third Parties’: China Reacts To Biden’s Remarks On Senkaku Islands
US President-elect Joe Biden in phone calls with the leaders of Australia, Japan and South Korea on Thursday emphasised on maintaining a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. According to foreign media reports, Joe Biden declared that US security guarantees apply to Japan’s administration of the disputed Senkaku Islands, in the President-elect’s first significant foreign policy move related to China. China’s…
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All eyes on Trump for parting South China Sea salvo
MANILA – The 11th hour appointment of a group of hardline Donald Trump loyalists to top Pentagon positions has raised the prospect of an escalation of tensions in the South China Sea in the weeks ahead. Trump’s perfunctory dismissal this week of Defense Secretary Mark Esper has raised concerns in some quarters of a Trump initiated parting blow aimed at…
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ASEAN eyes code of conduct for disputed South China Sea
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Thursday expressed its hope for an “effective and substantive” code of conduct for all activities in the South China Sea. Addressing the opening ceremony of the 37th ASEAN Summit as the current chair, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc reaffirmed the bloc’s determination to maintain “peace, stability, and security” in the South…