News
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Philippines tells China: ‘Leave the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal immediately’
SUMMARY MELBOURNE, Australia – The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday, March 5, demanded that “Chinese vessels leave the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal immediately” as it summoned one of Beijing’s envoys to Manila. The DFA, represented by Deputy Assistant Secretary Raphael Hermoso, summoned Beijing’s Deputy Chief of Mission Zhou Zhiyong after Chinese ships […]
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Philippines, US to hold military drills in islands facing South China Sea, Taiwan
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and the United States will carry out annual military exercises next month in key locations including Philippine islands facing the South China Sea and Taiwan, as tensions with China in the region continue to simmer. The exercises, called Balikatan or “shoulder-to-shoulder”, will move away from sprawling military camps in […]
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Philippines, US to hold military drills in islands facing South China Sea, Taiwan
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and the United States will carry out annual military exercises next month in key locations including Philippine islands facing the South China Sea and Taiwan, as tensions with China in the region continue to simmer. The exercises, called Balikatan or “shoulder-to-shoulder”, will move away from sprawling military camps in […]
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Why Australia wants – and needs – to improve Southeast Asia ties
SUMMARY CANBERRA, Australia – It’s easy to find a Southeast Asian connection through key members of Australia’s Cabinet. Penny Wong, Foreign Minister and leader of the government in the Senate, was born in Sabah, Malaysia and speaks the language. Don Farrell, Minister for Trade and Tourism, lights up as he talks about marrying his Bicolana […]
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4 Filipinos hurt after China uses water cannons vs Ayungin resupply vessel
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – At least four Filipinos sustained “minor injuries” after two China Coast Guard (CCG) ships used water cannons against a much smaller military-contracted vessel during a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea on Tuesday, March 5. The four were on board the Unaizah May 4, one of two civilian vessels […]
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A year after: Transparency in the West Philippine Sea
SUMMARY In an old, quiet low-rise apartment building near Malacañang, after climbing the narrow wooden stairs to the second and third floors, modern offices surprise you: freshly painted and renovated, complete with conference rooms and TV monitors, sleek new desks, and swivel chairs. Bright and well lit, some parts are draped by the morning sun as uniformed […]
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Hindi Ito Marites: Power to the Filipino fishermen of Scarborough Shoal
Ano ba’ng laban ng simpleng Pilipinong mangingisda sa China Coast Guard na nananakop at rumoronda sa West Philippine Sea? Natunghayan natin nitong nakaraang Enero ang tapang nila, at ang bentaheng dulot ng teknolohiya sa pagbibigay-ebidensiya sa mga pinagdaraanan nila sa kamay ng mga dayuhang nanghihimasok sa karagatan nating mga Pilipino. Sa episode na ito, hihimayin […]
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HIGHLIGHTS: Marcos focuses on security in rare address before Australian Parliament
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered a security-centric speech before the Australian Parliament on Thursday, February 29, joining an elite list of foreign leaders who had addressed the legislative body in the past. “We have long known that our prosperity and development are anchored on the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific. […]
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Marcos in Canberra: What the Philippines and its president gains
SUMMARY When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. steps onto the podium of Australia’s House of Representatives, he will also officially become a member of a very exclusive club of select world leaders invited to address the highest governing body in Canberra. The Philippine president is set to address what Bloomberg has described as a “rare” joint […]
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View from Manila: Beijing bristles at media presence in Bajo de Masinloc
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Shadowing and blocking maneuvers by China in the West Philippine Sea are nothing new for personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), nor for Philippine journalists who are practically regulars in missions to those waters as part of the government’s “transparency initiative.” But what is new in February 2024 is where […]
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WATCH: ‘International coalition’ needed to address South China Sea damage by Beijing
MANILA, Philippines – A study by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) showed that at least 20,000 acres of reef in the South China Sea have been destroyed by China through dredging, landfill, and illegal giant clam harvests. Estimated figures for damage caused by other claimant […]
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Repelled? BFAR ship still patrolling Bajo de Masinloc, says PH Coast Guard
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Thursday, February 22, that its Chinese counterpart is being “inaccurate” in claiming that it had “repelled” a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ship that was patrolling Bajo de Masinloc, a feature some 100 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales. According to […]