News
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Incoming DFA chief Yasay: No bilateral talks with China before tribunal decision
MANILA – The Philippines will not pursue bilateral talks with China until an international tribunal decides on a case brought by the Philippines in connection with claims in the South China Sea, incoming foreign minister Perfecto Yasay said on Friday. The Philippines has brought a case at an international tribunal in The Hague contesting China’s […]
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China Plans Manned Subsea ‘Space Station’ in South China Sea
(Bloomberg) — China is speeding up efforts to design and build a manned deep-sea platform to help it hunt for minerals in the South China Sea, one that may also serve a military purpose in the disputed waters. Such an oceanic “space station” would be located as much as 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) below the […]
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States will challenge China’s planned South China Sea air defense zone – US expert
MANILA, Philippines — The moment China makes good on its plan to declare an air defense identification zone in the South China Sea, different countries can be expected to put up a challenge by sending warplanes swarming through the vital sea lanes, an American security expert said. “If the Chinese declare an ADIZ, the minute […]
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Yasay to China: Join us in resolving sea row
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Incoming Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr urged China on Wednesday, June 8, to join the Philippines in peacefully resolving their dispute over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). “I would just simply invite China to join us, as we would join them, in making sure that we will be […]
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Why Beijing Will Increase Its South China Sea Activities In The Next Few Months
China has called on the Philippines to stop its international court proceedings on the South China Sea territorial disputes, but also stressed that it was still open to dialogue with Manila to settle the issue. The call on Wednesday from the foreign ministry comes ahead of a ruling expected from the Permanent Court of Arbitration […]
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Europeans in the South China Sea
France has thrown its hat into the acrimonious South China Sea debate, calling for more European naval patrols in a contested waterway that is at the center of a growing dispute between China and the United States and its Asian allies. French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, speaking Sunday at a three-day security conference in […]
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Kerry warns Beijing over air defense zone for South China Sea
U.S. officials have expressed concern that an international court ruling expected in coming weeks on a case brought by the Philippines against China over its South China Sea claims could prompt Beijing to declare an air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, as it did over the East China Sea in 2013. “We would consider an […]
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China Must Explain Sea Plans to Small Nations, New Zealand Says
China should explain its island building program in the South China Sea or it will continue to fuel insecurity among countries whose economies depend on free trade, including smaller nations many miles away, New Zealand Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said. “What we are looking to see from the Chinese is some better understanding about what […]
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China hits out at US, Philippines over South China Sea, says ‘doesn’t fear trouble’
SINGAPORE – A senior Chinese defence official on Sunday (June 5) slammed the United States for double standards and irresponsible behaviour on the South China Sea dispute and scolded the Philippines for taking the spat to an UN arbitration court, saying that China “does not fear trouble” when it comes to upholding its sovereignty. “We […]
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Tensions escalate over South China Sea claims
Singapore – Asia’s largest defence summit concluded on Sunday amid growing fears of a legal and military showdown in the South China Sea over China’s rapid construction of artificial islands with ports, airstrips and helipads in one of the world’s most bitterly contested waterways. At the weekend-long Shangri-La Dialogue , Chinese military officials vowed to […]
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Maritime Spat Simmers as U.S., China Talk
SINGAPORE—China pushed back strongly against U.S. criticism of its stance on maritime disputes as the two sides prepared for economic and security talks expected to be dominated by tensions over the South China Sea. http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-china-trade-barbs-over-south-china-sea-at-shangri-la-dialogue-1465133442
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France to Push for Coordinated EU Patrols in South China Sea
France will urge European Union nations to coordinate navy patrols to ensure a “regular and visible” presence in the disputed South China Sea, in the latest sign of international push back to China’s expanded military clout in the area. The French government views the protection of freedom of the seas as critical from an economic […]