News
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No government change on South China Sea claims
The government’s stance on the South China Sea issue remains unchanged, despite the ruling expected today from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on the territorial dispute between the Philippines and China, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said yesterday. All relevant agencies have a decent grasp of the case, Huang told a routine media briefing. “The agencies…
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RI urged to support int’l tribunal ruling
Making up roughly half of the population of Southeast Asia, Indonesia stands to lose a lot from the looming danger of flaring tensions in the South China Sea (SCS). Open conflict in the region’s main waterway will undoubtedly become an impediment to the country’s maritime axis plans, as well as to its economic growth and development. Beyond national interests, an…
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South China Sea: Beijing watches as The Hague ruling looms
An island outpost, one of several, being built by China in the South China Sea. China is set to hear some major news on Tuesday, and it’s likely to have a profound impact on the busiest commercial waterway on earth. A tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, is expected to rule on a dispute between…
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Landmark ruling on South China Sea: All about the case
MANILA, PHILIPPINES: A landmark ruling on an arbitration case filed by the Philippines that seeks to strike down China’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea will be a test for international law and world powers. China, which demands one-on-one talks to resolve the disputes, has boycotted the case and vowed to ignore the verdict, which will be handed…
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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…