News
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WESCOM wants Chinese out of West PH Sea
The armed forces’ Western Command (WESCOM) has expressed continuing concern over the presence of Chinese fishing vessels around the Philippine-held Pag-asa island despite reports their number has reduced. WESCOM commander Vice Admiral Rene Medina, briefing the Palawan press, said the Chinese should “totally leave” the area. “On the part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), particularly WESCOM, the…
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Philippines rejects China’s call to jointly probe collision in South China Sea
MANILA – The Philippines on Friday (June 21) rejected China’s suggestions to jointly probe the sinking of a Philippine fishing boat by a Chinese trawler early this month. “There will be no joint investigation. China and the Philippines will conduct their respective investigations,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said in a tweet. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang, at a…
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South China Sea: Former Philippines’ minister held in Hong Kong after criticising Xi
CHINA critic and former Philippines foreign secretary Albert del Rosario was blocked from entering Hong Kong this morning – hours after accusing Beijing of lying over the sinking of a Phillipine fishing boat. Ramos bids to restore friendly ties between China and the Philippines Mr del Rosario was held at the airport despite being given no information about his status…
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South China Sea: Satellite image shows Chinese fighter jets deployed to contested island
(CNN) — A satellite image obtained by CNN shows China has deployed at least four J-10 fighter jets to the contested Woody Island in the South China Sea, the first known deployment of fighter jets there since 2017. The image was taken Wednesday and represents the first time J-10s have been seen on Woody or any Chinese-controlled islands in…
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China sends four fighter jets to highly-contested island in the South China Sea, as tensions grow
CHINESE MILITARY MIGHT Startling new satellite images show China has deployed at least four fighter jets to a highly contested island in the South China Sea. Taken above the skies of Woody Island on Wednesday, the images mark a major military development in the disputed region. China has never before placed its sophisticated J-10 fighter jets on Woody or any…
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Duterte vows to discuss South China Sea dispute at ASEAN Summit
President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday vowed to discuss China’s expansive South China Sea claims with his fellow Southeast Asian leaders at the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Thailand. Duterte will be attending the Bangkok summit this weekend, as leaders are expected to discuss a range of regional issues including the South China Sea dispute. “Is…
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Behind Filipino boat captain’s ‘change of tune’ on South China Sea collision
The boat captain’s recent change of tune over the collision incident which left him and 21 other crew members in the middle of the South China Sea with a sunken ship is being perceived to be a result of pressure from government. Secretary Emmanuel Piñol of the agriculture department leads the government response team to the tragic sinking of FB…
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Carpio calls on the youth to continue defending the West Philippine Sea
Supreme Court Senior Justice Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Wednesday appealed to the Filipino youth to continue defending the West Philippine Sea. “We have to continue defending West Philippine Sea because that’s our duty. My generation laid the foundation by winning arbitral ruling that the West Philippine Sea belongs to the Philippines,” Carpio said after administering the oath of…
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The Chinese Maritime Militia
I’m directing this column to our national and local leaders whose duty is to defend the country, protect the people, and secure our natural resources. There’s a need to adapt mindsets to a deteriorating security situation in the South China Sea — fueled by China’s spurious claims of “indisputable sovereignty” over this vital body of water — by thinking,…
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Rushed oil search by ‘MVP’ firm triggered hostile stance toward China
IT was the rush by an “MVP” firm to implement its tight program to extract oil and gas in Recto Bank in 2011 that triggered a chain of events which, under President Aquino 3rd, resulted in making China the Philippines’ de facto foe. Aquino was well on the way to cutting off diplomatic and economic relations with China had…
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Philippines hoists cyber shield against China Telecom
MANILA — China Telecom’s future operations in the Philippines will be closely monitored by a government-operated cybersecurity platform specially designed to guard against spying and other online threats. Amid rising global security concerns over China’s high-tech companies, state-owned China Telecom is the largest stakeholder in Mislatel, the Philippines’ third telecommunications carrier that is set to receive its operating license…
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[ANALYSIS] Will boat sinking put pressure on ASEAN Summit?
China’s unsafe and dangerous navigation in the South China Sea will be under the spotlight at this weekend’s gathering of 10 Southeast Asian leaders in Bangkok, where the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit will try to come up with a single and common draft on a formal Code of Conduct in the area. Since the late…