News
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Chinese media hails Duterte’s South China Sea policy
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 24) — Drawing criticisms from his home country, President Rodrigo Duterte has earned the praises of the Chinese media for his policy of restraint on the South China Sea dispute. A column published on Global Times, China’s national English-language newspaper, commended Duterte’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) for defending his controversial fishing agreement…
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South China Sea: Philippines deploy bizarre new tactic to push back Beijing claim on Thitu
THE Philippines is considering a bizarre new move to push back China’s claims over the South China Sea. The country is looking at inviting tourists to its biggest and most strategically important outpost in the disputed sea. Thitu Island, also known as Pagasa, is in the midst of major upgrades to its dilapidated facilities as it plays catch-up with China…
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‘POSSESSION, POSITION ARE THE SAME’ Palace: China has ‘legal and constructive possession’ of South China Sea
MANILA, Philippines — China is both in “possession” and “in position” at the South China Sea. This was the clarification made by Malacañang on Wednesday after security officials said China is just “in position” at the disputed sea and not “in possession” as said by President Rodrigo Duterte during his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona). National Security…
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What’s Behind China and Vietnam’s Latest Standoff in the South China Sea?
Since early July, Chinese and Vietnamese vessels have been engaged in a tense standoff over natural gas resources in waters off the coast of southern Vietnam. The ongoing confrontation is just one incident in a pattern of increasingly assertive Chinese behavior in the South China Sea, and while no shots have been fired so far, it could provoke anti-Chinese protests…
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Naval operations of foreign powers refute China’s claim, enforce arbitral award
MANILA, Philippines — Freedom of navigation and overflight operations of naval powers in the South China Sea serve as an advantage for the Philippines, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Friday. Speaking at a forum on the West Philippine Sea, Carpio noted that several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Japan, India and Canada have been conducting…
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Carpio rebuts Duterte: China ‘not in possession’ of West Philippine Sea
MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday said the Philippines is “not in the position” to assert its rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) because China “is in possession” of it. Wrong, said Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio. “China is not in possession of the WPS. China is…
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Carpio fact-checks Duterte: China not occupying West Philippine Sea
MANILA, Philippines — Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Monday refuted President Rodrigo Duterte’s claim that China is in possession of the West Philippine Sea. He said China occupies only the seven artificial islands in the Kalayaan Island Group (Spratly Islands), Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, and Sandy Cay, which covers less than 10 percent of the entire South…
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South Korea fires ‘warning shots’ as ‘Russian and Chinese aircraft violate’ its airspace
SOUTH KOREA’s defence ministry has confirmed its military fired warning shots after Russian and Chinese aircraft violated its airspace on Tuesday. The warning shots were fired after Russian military jets intruded into the Republic of Korea’s airspace. The confrontation comes after the Putin-Kim summit, where Russia has stepped up its economic ties with North Korea. According to the Yonhap news…
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LOCALIZED SEA DENIAL: COUNTERING CHINESE AGGRESSION IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA
“Free and open access to the South and East China Seas is critical to both regional security and international commerce…Through its illegitimate efforts to build and militarize islands in the region, the Chinese Communist Party has aggressively attempted to control these critical waterways and undermined international law. This legislation makes clear that any individual or entity supporting these illegal actions…
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China test-fired six ASBMs into South China Sea, USINDOPACOM chief confirms
It has become clear that China test-fired six anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) into the South China Sea (SCS) in late June, in light of remarks made on 18 July by US Navy Admiral Philip Davidson, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), during the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. On 4 July, Japanese broadcaster NHK had quoted an…
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SONA 2019 briefer: Things Duterte said about China, South China Sea
There were a dozen things President Rodrigo Duterte said in his fourth State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 22. A highlight of his speech was how he defended his policy toward China and the South China Sea despite accusations that he has been trading the country’s sovereignty in appeasement of China. Duterte said he had a meeting with…
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Duterte says South China Sea dispute is ‘delicate balancing act’
MANILA — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is treading carefully for once. Keen to keep Chinese money rolling into his country despite domestic pressure over his overtures toward Beijing, Duterte said Monday he is performing a “delicate balancing act” on the South China Sea territorial dispute with China. The president used an annual national address at Congress to defend his…