News
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Beijing may announce S China Sea ADIZ: Philippine official
A senior security official from the Philippines said on Monday that China’s development and reclamation of disputed reefs in the South China Sea is part of Beijing’s plan to set up an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the region, reports the website of the Manila-based Philippine Star. The official cited military research and sustained […]
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US slams Beijing’s wholesale reclamation
MANILA, Philippines – The United States has slammed the “wholesale reclamation” being undertaken by Beijing in the South China Sea, saying it is the “source of clear anxiety and instability” in the contested region. In a press conference at the New York Foreign Press Center on Sept. 26, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and […]
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Almost impossible for big countries to understand how small countries think
CHINA and South-east Asia are geographically contiguous. We have no choice but to live together. China and Asean have decided their relationship should be a “strategic partnership”, the 10th anniversary of which was celebrated last year. Today, Asean-China relations are indisputably one of the most crucial relationships in East Asia and an important pillar of […]
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Philippines takes ‘triple action plan’ on sea row to UN
MANILA — The Philippines has decided to take its triple action plan (TAP) for the resolution of the maritime dispute in the West Philippines Sea (South China Sea) to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to gain international support. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert del Rosario rallied member-states during the General Debate of […]
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RI to strengthen defense in South China Sea
To increase its military defenses in the South China Sea, the government is preparing to establish an F16 fighter jet squadron in Pekanbaru, Riau Islands, and an Apache helicopter squadron near the South China Sea. Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the government had decided upon the measure to safeguard Asia’s largest gas field exploration at […]
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Lawyer Anne Marie Corominas’ old maps help PH case vs China
Atty. Anne Marie Corominas, Cartographic Exhibit, China, DLSU, History, Justice Antonio T. Carpio, Maps, Panacot, Philippines, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea DisputePalace lawyer Anne Marie Corominas knows exactly where to find every ancient map of the Philippines and Asia that she has collected more than 20 years in her Makati City home. Whether these maps are kept in acid-free binders, picture frames or tube containers usually used by architects to store their works, Corominas, who has […]
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China expert expects better ties after 2016
HAIKOU CITY, China—Maybe after 2016. Wu Shicun, president of top state think tank National Institute for South China Sea Studies, is hopeful that relations between China and the Philippines will be better after the Aquino administration. Wu also says China is unlikely to accept the decision—expected “around January to March in 2016”—of the International Tribunal […]
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We’re living in the most dangerous region in the world
When a world-renowned geopolitical risk analyst tells you you’re living in the world’s most dangerous place, what do you do? You blanch and blink. Ian Bremmer, 44, a political risk expert who founded the Eurasia Group, was sitting in a nondescript room with several newspaper editors from Singapore Press Holdings intent on picking his brains […]
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Beijing to deploy live fish carrier to South China Sea
China is planning to deploy a live fish carrier to Mischief Reef in the South China Sea’s disputed Spratly Islands, according to the Beijing-based China Science Daily. The news comes just months after China removed the Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil platform from waters near the disputed Paracel islands, which had given rise to widespread protests […]
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South China Sea conundrum: US and China’s differing views
Last Friday, The Straits Times ran a commentary by Mark Valencia titled “Separating fact from fiction in South China Sea conundrum”. Mr Valencia, a maritime policy specialist, is an adjunct senior scholar at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies in Haikou, China. In the article, he highlighted several oft-repeated statements on the South […]
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China looks to next PH govt for improved relations
The Chinese government does not see better relations with the Philippines under President Benigno Aquino III, saying it would rather wait for the next administration in 2016 amid territorial disputes in the region. Wu Shicun Top South China Sea expert Wu Shicun said the mainland will not abide by any decision of the United Nations […]
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South China Sea: Still no evidence of historical Chinese claims
Two scholars have responded to my call for supporters of Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea to provide verifiable evidence in support of their arguments. However the response of Dr Li Dexia and Tan Keng Tat (http://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/rsis/co14165) shows just how difficult this task is likely to be. They are unable to prove any […]