News
-
U.S. defense chief to visit Philippines, meet Lorenzana
MANILA, Philippines – United States Defense Secretary Mark Esper will visit the Philippines early next week to meet with Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, as part of Esper’s Indo-Pacific tour that includes a meeting of Southeast Asian defense ministers in Thailand over the weekend. “In the Philippines, Secretary Esper will meet with his Philippine […]
-
BAWAL ANG PASAWAY Someone in Aquino admin tried to remove him from The Hague delegation, Carpio says
Retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Tuesday revealed that someone from the Aquino administration attempted to have him removed from the Philippine delegation to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Hague in 2016. Interviewed on “Bawal ang Pasaway kay Mareng Winnie,” Carpio said someone from Malacañang blacked out his name from the list […]
-
America’s feeble Indo-Pacific strategy
HANOI – With the global geopolitical center of gravity shifting toward Asia, a pluralistic, rules-based Indo-Pacific order is more important than ever, including for America’s own global standing. So it was good news when, two years ago, U.S. President Donald Trump began touting a vision of a “free and open” Indo-Pacific, characterized by unimpeded […]
-
Vietnam Needs to ‘Struggle’ More in the South China Sea
Assessing Hanoi’s strategy after the Vanguard Bank standoff with China. Now that the months-long standoff between China and Vietnam has finally ended at the disputed Vanguard Bank, it makes sense to take stock of how Hanoi’s security strategy fared in countering Chinese coercion in the South China Sea. Vietnam seeks simultaneous “cooperation and struggle” […]
-
Is China an Imperial Power in the Image of the West?
Unlike the West, modern China has seldom used brute force to access resources or expand markets — except, notably, in the South China Sea. This article is the first part in a series on China as a global power. Owing to geography and geopolitics, my country the Philippines finds itself in the middle of […]
-
US risks China’s wrath as US warship sails through Taiwan Strait in ‘routine’ operation
THE US military has sent another warning signal to China after a warship was deployed through the disputed Taiwan Strait. The USS Chancellorsville sailed through the disputed waters on Tuesday on what the US military has called a “routine” operation. Commander Reann Mommsen said the guided-missile cruiser travelled through the Strait to demonstrate “commitment […]
-
South China Sea crisis: How Vietnam could mimic Philippines to take on Beijing
SOUTH CHINA SEA disputes have seen the government in Beijing infuriate smaller nations such as Vietnam, but Hanoi may use the Philippines as inspiration as they look to fend off aggression in the region, Prashanth Parameswaran highlights. As Chinese President Xi Jinping aims to assert dominance in the South China Sea, his Nine-Dash Line […]
-
Beijing loyalist’s South China Sea warning exposed: ‘We’ll see how frightened America is!’
SOUTH CHINA SEA control has become a key objective for Beijing and Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose government sent a chilling warning last year that has sparked caution from the US as well as Asian neighbours in the region. As Beijing looked to forge a plan to dominate the region, one admiral made a […]
-
South China Sea crisis: Beijing defied by Philippines in power move as tensions rise
SOUTH CHINA SEA disputes between China and the Philippines are set to take another tense turn as Manila plans to seize control of oil and gas in the region despite Beijing fury. PXP Energy Corporation in the Philippines has requested permission from the country’s Department of Energy to capitalise on the resource rich Malampaya […]
-
[ANALYSIS] Scarborough Shoal and its threat to Philippine centers of gravity
It is our economic assets, our commerce, and way of life that can now be threatened by the Chinese. Green Aura is a harbinger of things to come. Unceasingly had drummed into them the utterance of The Times: “You are lions led by packasses.” – Francisque Sarcey, in Paris During the Siege, 1871 The […]
-
Philippines’ PXP eyes Malampaya facilities for South China Sea gas project
MANILA (Reuters) – PXP Energy Corp said on Tuesday it has submitted an unsolicited proposal to the Philippines’ Department of Energy to develop and utilize the Malampaya natural gas facilities in the South China Sea for a planned integrated gas hub venture. The Malampaya gas-to-power project, developed and operated by Shell Philippines Exploration BV […]
-
Is Donald Trump’s administration ceding Southeast Asia to an ever-aggressive China?
In the recently concluded 7th Asean-US Summit in Bangkok, it was widely reported that only the Thai, Laotian and Vietnamese heads of state showed up. The former was the chair of Asean (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the latter is taking over as Asean chair and Laos is the current coordinator for Asean-US […]