News
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Palace adopts wait and see attitude on South China Sea row
AMID intense tension Malacañang described as “historic” the ruling to be issued Tuesday by the United Nations Arbitral Court on the case the Philippines filed against China over the territorial issue in the West Philippine Sea. “We will have to wait for the final decision of the UN Permanent Court or arbitral court dyan sa Hague. And then once they…
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Not an ordinary Tuesday
TUESDAY this week will not be an ordinary Tuesday. It will not be like the Tuesday when you had your firstborn. Or a Tuesday when you learned that you’ve been hired. Those kinds of Tuesdays are precious and personal. Tomorrow is not a Tuesday that is personal to anyone, yet is the kind that would alter the shape of Philippine…
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THE PITFALLS OF JOINT DEVELOPMENT OF THE SPRATLYS WITH CHINA
IT’S best that Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. study carefully the intricacies of joint exploration with China so he can advise President Rodrigo Duterte to go slow about it. Yasay, in his clarification about what he said in an interview with Agence France Presse last week, said, “As the ruling will not address sovereignty and delimitation, it is possible that…
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US, Philippines await Hague ruling on maritime dispute
WASHINGTON, July 10 (KUNA) — US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and his counterpart Delfin Lorenzana of Philippines held bilateral discussions via phone Sunday, the Pentagon said. The two sides are currently awaiting a ruling from the UNCLOS Arbitral Tribunal at The Hague on July 12th regarding Philippines claims in the South China Sea, the Pentagon said in a statement.…
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Ruling on South China Sea Nears in a Case Beijing Has Tried to Ignore
BEIJING — Five judges and legal scholars from around the world presided over a hearing last fall in an elegant, chandeliered room in The Hague. Arranged before them on one side of the chamber were lawyers for the Philippines, armed with laptop computers and notepads. On the other side were three empty chairs. For more than three years, China has…
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The submarines and rivalries underneath the South China Sea
A tribunal is about to rule on China’s territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea. But Beijing’s desire for control is about much more than rocks above the water, argues analyst Alexander Neill. It is also central to China’s plans for a submarine nuclear force able to break out into the Pacific Ocean. Historically, China’s national infrastructure projects have…
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China’s Other Sea Offensive
Beijing is getting bolder in its maritime adventurism. Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea could earn a rebuke Tuesday when a United Nations court issues its ruling in a case brought by the Philippines. But recent Chinese actions in the East China Sea also deserve attention. “Chinese activity is escalating at sea and in the air,” Japan’s top military…
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Commentary: U.S. should stop treating South China Sea as next Caribbean
MEXICO CITY, July 10 (Xinhua) — The United States should stay away from the South China Sea issue and avoid repeating its history of military intervention and political manipulation in the Caribbean in the past century. The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague will announce its award on Tuesday in an arbitration case filed unilaterally by the Philippines…
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Tribunal case is far more than just a matter of rocks and reefs
A tribunal convened by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague will hand down its judgment Tuesday (July 12) in a case the Philippines lodged challenging China’s claims in the South China Sea. The case, seemingly a banal dispute over rocks and reefs, has far-reaching implications. What’s at stake? The 3.5 million sq km South China Sea is…
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Will Filipino fishermen be able to fish in Scarborough after tribunal ruling?
When the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) hands down its verdict on Tuesday, 5 p.m. Manila time (11 a.m. in The Hague), it will rule on the Philippines’ 15 submissions, one of which may have an important practical implication on Filipino fishermen. That is Submission No. 10, where the Philippines protested that “China has unlawfully prevented Philippine fishermen from carrying…
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Does negotiating with China make sense for the Philippines?
The South China Sea’s upcoming judgement day is going to be a tipping point for tensions and a watershed for regional dynamics, writes Jacqueline Espenilla. China has long claimed that the South China Sea dispute can only be resolved by negotiation. This belief is purported to be the rationale for its refusal to participate in the arbitration case initiated by…
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Hague tribunal to rule in tense South China Sea row
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — An international tribunal will hand down a ruling on Tuesday in an increasingly bitter dispute over the South China Sea, in a closely-watched case that risks ratcheting up tensions in Southeast Asia. The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) — the world’s oldest international arbitration tribunal — will issue a written decision at 11:00 am (0900 GMT)…