News
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Kerry: US will defend allies in Asia-Pacific
Ayungin Shoal, China, Foreign Relations, John Kerry, Mutual Defense, Panatag Shoal, Rebalance, South China Sea Dispute, USAMANILA, Philippines – The United States wants stronger ties with China but is committed to defending allies in the region, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday. Kerry said he and US President Barack Obama would be working for the interests of their allies in the South China Sea when they meet leaders of […]
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Taiwan’s live-fire drills on Spratlys infuriate Vietnam
A second day of live-fire drills conducted by the Coast Guard Administration on one of the disputed Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) drew condemnation from Vietnam, which also claims the South China Sea chain as its territory. The drills are conducted annually on the Taiwan-administered Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), said Shih Yi-che (施義哲), […]
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US won’t ‘agree to disagree’ with China on sea row
MANILA, Philippines — Washington continues to take a strong position against the conduct of Beijing in the South and East China Seas despite its effort to deepen bilateral ties, the top American diplomat said. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a much-awaited statement on Wednesday that while the United States and China try to […]
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Aquino Shows Support for Japan in the South China Sea
On Tuesday, Philippine President Benigno Aquino made several provocative comments that will have regional neighbors cheering and jeering in turn. While speaking at the presidential palace in the capital of Manila to Japanese reporters, Aquino outlined his desire to work more closely with Japan on matters of security, shortly before accusing China of complicating an […]
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Vietnam Is Becoming A Proxy In Efforts To Contain Chinese Influence In The South China Sea
Vietnam is becoming a proxy against China in any future possible confrontation in the South China Sea or South Asia as a whole. On Oct. 28 India announced that it would sell naval vessels to Vietnam in exchange for an energy-exploration deal. These vessels would arrive at a time of rising tension between Vietnam and […]
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China’s Large-Scale Reclamation Works Over Disputed Spratly Islands Not Valid: Study
Bajo de Masinloc, Brunei, China, Fiery Cross Reef, Indonesia, Panacot, Reclamation, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Taiwan, VietnamIn the course of the dispute over the Spratly Islands, China’s extensive reclamation works do not necessarily act as a ticket to win sovereignty claims in accordance with the maritime provisions of international law. A Eurasia Review analysis cited China’s ongoing infrastructure projects on several of the seven reefs it occupies in Spratly. But according […]
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The Real Attitude of the Chinese Communist Party Towards International Law
On February 17, 2014, the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued the 372-page “Report of the detailed findings of the commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” detailing the atrocities suffered by the North Korean people, raising allegations of Pyongyang’s crimes against humanity, and proposing […]
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How China Is Making Tiny Islands Inhabitable With Huge Floating Docks
The Spratly Islands are basically mounds of sand in the middle of the South China Sea, some of them barely tall enough to reach above the water. But China is hell-bent on making them inhabitable, even drawing up plans for floating energy and water plants. It has nothing to do with the islands themselves and […]
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Satellite photo shows Vietnam’s land reclamation in South China Sea
Satellite images captured by Taiwan indicate that Vietnam is pushing for land reclamation much harder than China in the disputed South China Sea, the Christian Science Monitor reported on Sept. 23. Wang Cheng-gi from the Satellite Surveying Center of the Department of Land Administration under Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior, who is in charge of […]
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Will China follow PH arbitration case ruling?
UNITED NATIONS – “Can international law be a law when it can be ignored or broken by states without any consequence?” Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Libran Cabactulan raised this question as he hosted a discussion at the UN on a topic closely related to the Philippines’ historic arbitration case against China on the […]
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India to supply Vietnam with naval vessels amid territorial disputes with China
India will soon be supplying naval vessels to Vietnam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, the first significant military transfer to Hanoi at a time when it is embroiled in a territorial dispute with China. The announcement came after Modi held talks with his visiting Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Tan Dung, during which the two […]
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China’s 5 Constitutions refute Beijing sea claim
China, History, IMOA, Justice Antonio T. Carpio, Maps, Philippines, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysThis resumes Wednesday’s piece, “China’s Own Ancient Maps Disprove Beijing Sea Claim.” The article detailed 15 maps of China, 1136-1933, by Chinese officials and citizens. Their common feature: Hainan Island (ancient names Zhuya, Qiongya, Qiongzhou) always has been China’s southernmost territory. Supreme Court Senior Justice Antonio T. Carpio dug up the maps. They belie Beijing’s […]