News
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China to PH: ‘Friends avoid lawsuits’
Ayungin Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre, China, ICJ, itlos, Memorial, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSMANILA, Philippines – China remains convinced that a bilateral negotiation, and not international arbitration, is the best way to settle its territorial dispute with a “good neighbor” and long-standing “friend” like the Philippines. “A resort to arbitration does not meet people’s expectations for friendship in both China and the Philippines,” said Zhang Hua, spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Manila,…
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East/South China seas: The strategy is failing
It now seems reasonable to assume that China will continue to ramp up the pressure on the disputed islands across the East and South China Seas until it owns them. The latest moves against the Philippines and Indonesia, and on over-fishing, are just the most recent steps towards eventual possession. If we wish to prevent that outcome, we need a…
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Taiwanese fishing boat runs aground off Batanes
A Taiwanese fishing boat ran aground in shallow waters off Batanes province in Northern Luzon on Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard said Wednesday. In a said five crew members – two Taiwanese and three Indonesians – were news item posted on its website, the Coast Guard rescued from the “FV Jui Fa Tsai.” Citing initial information about the incident, the…
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Phl confident of getting int’l support on sea row
MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang reiterated yesterday that right is might as the Philippines fights for its territorial integrity and sovereignty through peaceful means. Speaking to reporters, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Philippines is confident of getting the continued support of the international community. “We are doing what we are capable of doing in terms of…
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US calls for end to Chinese provocation in Ayungin
WASHINGTON – The United States has called on China to allow the Philippines to continue to maintain its presence on Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea and said Chinese efforts to prevent Filipinos from resupplying the outpost were “provocative and destabilizing.” State Department spokesperson Marie Harf, in a press briefing on Monday, said the Chinese coast guard…
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Beijing summons Phl envoy, keeps door open to talks
BEIJING – China summoned Philippine Ambassador Erlinda Basilio on Monday to lodge a strong complaint over Manila’s seeking of international arbitration. The filing of the case against China on Sunday at an arbitration tribunal in The Hague subjected Beijing to international legal scrutiny over disputed waters of the South China Sea for the first time. Chinese deputy foreign minister Liu…
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Lee Kuan Yew: China-Philippines row closure unlikely
MANILA, Philippines — The acknowledged Father of Singapore weighed in on the long-standing maritime disputes in the South China Sea, particularly that of China and the Philippines. Lee Kuan Yew said the claims of the Asian power and its Southeast Asian neighbor will not meet on the same grounds and a resolution seems far-fetched. “The disputes, which arise from claims…
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China afraid its claim may be found baseless
Arbitration, Ayungin Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre, China, Memorial, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSWHY AFRAID?: China believes in the validity of its sovereign claim over shoals and islets in the West Philippines Sea. It insists on a one-on-one discussion to resolve territorial disputes with neighbors, while avowing friendship and peaceful intentions in dealing with the Philippines. It is a member of the United Nations and signatory to the UN Convention on the Law…
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PNoy: We provoke not
Arbitration, Ayungin Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre, China, Memorial, Philippines, President Benigno Aquino III, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSPRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III said the Philippines has no intention to provoke a military confrontation with China, after challenging its claims over the West Philippine Sea in a formal pleading before the United Nations tribunal in The Hague. “We are not here to challenge China or to provoke them into any action. But I do believe that they should recognize…
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The Philippines’ UNCLOS Claim and the PR Battle Against China
Arbitration, Ayungin Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre, China, Memorial, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSAs expected, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario announced Sunday that the Philippines has submitted a memorial seeking a ruling on China’s “nine dash line” from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. The Philippines seeks to have China’s claim to much of the South China Sea, including several features within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone, declared…
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China summons Manila envoy over sea legal case
BEIJING – China summoned the Philippines ambassador on Monday to lodge a strong complaint over Manila’s seeking of international arbitration in a festering territorial dispute over the South China Sea. The Philippines filed the case against China on Sunday at an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, subjecting Beijing to international legal scrutiny over the waters for the first time. Chinese…
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US urges China to respect PH’s arbitration move
MANILA – The United States on Sunday expressed support for the Philippines’ filing of a Memorial before an international arbitral court to support its claims on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). In a statement, US State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf lauded the Philippines’ peaceful ways of seeking a resolution of its dispute with China. “The United States…