News
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Shut down Chinese-only businesses, Lacson urges
MANILA, Philippines — The government should shut down restaurants and other businesses exclusively catering to Chinese nationals staying in the country, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said on Sunday. Lacson also called on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), local governments and other state agencies to use their authority and keep investors from China out of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).…
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Make deal with China for offshore gas, urges Malampaya pioneer
BAGUIO CITY, Benguet, Philippines — Make a deal with China to develop untapped natural gas in Philippine waters to forestall a projected power crisis, according to one of the scientists who helped develop the country’s first oil rigs and the Malampaya gas field. Future energy and water problems would be “inexcusable” given that Filipino scientists discovered vast gas fields…
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Duterte’s China ties, allegations of corruption, and the Philippine election
The Philippines is heading to the polls on May 13 in what could be seen as a referendum on President Rodrigo Duterte’s ill-fated decision to steer the country away from its traditional ally, the United States, and towards an alliance with the People’s Republic of China. Increased human rights abuses, allegations of corruption, inflation, and joblessness have also plagued…
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U.S. Warships Challenge China Sea Claims for Third Time in 2019
Two U.S. warships sailed near disputed islands in the South China Sea on Monday, challenging Beijing’s claims for the third time this year amid simmering trade tensions. The guided-missile destroyers USS Preble and USS Chung-Hoon passed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs, said Commander Clay Doss, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet. The China-occupied…
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China says urges U.S. to stop provocative acts in South China Sea
BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Monday its navy warned U.S. ships sailing near islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea to leave the area and that the U.S. should stop such provocative acts. Two U.S. guided-missile destroyers traveled within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson Reefs in the disputed Spratly Islands, a U.S. military spokesman…
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Government vows protection of ‘South China Sea’ territories
The Philippine government yesterday vowed it would protect its territories in the disputed South China Sea, following a Supreme Court order to preserve marine environments in the area. The court order was prompted by a petition filed by environmental activists and fishermen alleging the Philippine government had failed to act against Chinese incursions and destructive activities in the three…
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‘Mahathir Doctrine’ keeps South China Sea peaceful
OF late, much has been said by commentators and in policy circles about a “Mahathir Doctrine”. But does such a doctrine exist? If it does, how would it ensure that the South China Sea does not become a theatre of conflict? It was in mid-2018 that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad mooted deploying small patrol boats to keep the…
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Two U.S. warships sail in disputed South China Sea
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military said two of its warships sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Monday, a move that angered Beijing at a time of tense ties between the world’s two biggest economies. The busy waterway is one of a growing number of flashpoints in the U.S.-China relationship, which also include…
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US warships sail in disputed South China Sea
Two US warships sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Monday, the US military said, in a move that could anger Beijing at a time of tense relations between the world’s two biggest economies. The US guided-missile destroyers Preble and Chung Hoon travelled within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson Reefs in the…
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Top Philippine court orders government to protect South China Sea
MANILA, May 3 (Reuters) – The Philippine Supreme Court ordered the government and security agencies on Friday to protect the environment in disputed areas of the South China Sea, responding to fishermen’s complaints of inaction against illegal Chinese activity. The top court said it had issued a writ instructing heads of key ministries, the coastguard, navy and police to enforce…
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How Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s stubborn pivot to China could cost him political capital at home
“Speech is the faculty by which men conceal their thoughts,” the legendary Napoleonic diplomat, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, once observed. In many ways, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s latest visit to China, his fourth in less than three years, illustrated Talleyrand’s reflections on talk. His stopover was filled with cordial rhetoric that concealed simmering tensions in the budding alliance. Though…
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Vietnam rejects China’s fishing ban in South China Sea
THE FOREIGN MINISTRY HAS CONDEMNED CHINA FOR VIOLATING VIETNAM’S SOVEREIGNTY BY IMPOSING A UNILATERAL FISHING BAN IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA. China’s agriculture ministry announced the ban on Wednesday, which it said would apply to both Chinese as well as foreign vessels, warning violators would be detained and fined by Chinese authorities. Vietnam calls the waters the East Sea.…