News
-
Philippines president to declare disputed area in South China Sea a no-fishing zone
MANILA, Philippines – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to issue a formal order declaring a sprawling lagoon in a disputed South China Sea shoal a maritime sanctuary where Filipinos and Chinese will be prohibited from fishing, officials said in a statement Monday. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said Duterte relayed his plan to […]
-
Experts warn vs PH ceding Scarborough to China, isolating nation
Maritime and law experts on Monday warned the Philippine government against unwittingly ceding Scarborough Shoal to China and isolating itself by pushing away allies like the United States. Dr. Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines (UP) Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea (IMLOS), told reporters that the Philippines should […]
-
Xi: Turn South China Sea issue into impetus for cooperation
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the Philippine side to join hands with his country to turn the South China Sea issue into an impetus for friendship and cooperation. During a meeting with Rodrigo Duterte in Lima, Xi Jinping called on both sides to ensure their bilateral relations move forward in a positive direction […]
-
Can anyone really rule the South China Sea?
Countries jockey for control as if oceans could be tamed, claimed and fenced off like the land Wherever you go in the Philippines, the sea is never too far away. I spent summers as a child lying on sunny beaches and playing in the waves. Sometimes we would go to an island where the white […]
-
Vietnam expanding South China Sea runway: U.S. think tank
Vietnam is extending a runway on an island it claims in the South China Sea in apparent response to China’s building of military facilities on artificial islands in the region, a U.S. think tank reported. Satellite images taken this month showed Vietnam had lengthened its runway on Spratly Island from less than 2,500 feet (760 […]
-
US Admiral: US Army Needs to Create Ship-Killing Units for South China Sea
The head of U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, said that he wants the U.S. Army to create new ship-killing units to threaten U.S. adversaries’ surface warships in the Western Pacific including in the East China Sea and South China Sea. “I believe that the army can do a lot in cross-domain fires,” the admiral […]
-
Stunning Aerial Photos Show Extent Of China’s Developments In The South China Sea
In October a U.S. navy warship sailed near islands claimed by China in an attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters. The guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur challenged “excessive maritime claims” near the Paracel Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which […]
-
Experts warn vs PH ceding Scarborough to China, isolating nation
Maritime and law experts on Monday warned the Philippine government against unwittingly ceding Scarborough Shoal to China and isolating itself by pushing away allies like the United States. Dr. Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines (UP) Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea (IMLOS), told reporters that the Philippines should […]
-
How Much Will Duterte Wreck the US-Philippines Military Alliance?
The fallout, though significant, will likely be more limited than the rhetoric had suggested. As I’ve repeatedly pointed out, for all the headlines that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte generates – including on his “separation” from the United States – more often than not his rhetoric does not translate well into reality (See: “The Limits of […]
-
Ex-DFA Secretary del Rosario: Independent foreign policy should be based on rule of law
Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Carpio (left) and Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario (right) received the “Outstanding Leadership in Diplomatic Service Award” on Saturday from the Miriam College Department of International Studies for their work in the successful arbitration case against China on the West Philippine Sea. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Former […]
-
Modern Times: “How soon we forget the lessons of the past”
Amid a rising global tide of nationalism and self-interested states, Andrew Hunter reflects on history to praise the value of international institutions and cooperation. “Japan, a country that places importance on the rule of law, trusts that the outcome of this case upholds stable multilateralism…but when one morning you find your state bound by the […]
-
Trump presidency’s impact on South China Sea disputes uncertain —PHL officials
Philippine officials who defended the country’s rights over South China Sea said Donald Trump’s presidency may or may not have an impact on the territorial dispute, depending on his policies on foreign affairs. “It’s difficult to say what the relations between the United States and the Philippines would be under a Trump presidency,” former Foreign […]