News
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‘China avoiding clash with US in South China Sea’
WASHINGTON – China is willing to tolerate higher levels of tension in the South China Sea in pursuit of its interests but seeks to avoid direct conflict with the United States, the Pentagon said. China is using coercive tactics short of armed conflict – such as the use of law enforcement vessels to enforce maritime claims – in ways that…
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Obama, Duterte affirm alliance
Pedestrians walk past a Philippine flag tarpaulin bearing the image of incoming president Rodrigo Duterte along a main road in Davao City yesterday. Miguel de Guzman Rody eyes bilateral talks with China DAVAO CITY, Philippines – US President Barack Obama became the first head of government to congratulate Rodrigo Duterte, relaying at the same time Washington’s congratulations for the conduct…
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Ma reaffirms Taiwan’s stance on maritime rights
President Ma Ying-jeou urged May 16 The Hague to recognize the status of Taiping Island as a bona fide island with requisite rights to a continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, adding that the international community should not turn a blind eye to any violation of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. At present, Taiwan is involved…
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Philippine authorities detain 2 Chinese fishing ships flying inverted Philippines flags
NETWORK) – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Philippine Coast Guard apprehended on Monday (May 16) two Chinese fishing vessels flying an inverted Philippine flag off the country’s northernmost coast. The ships were the Shen Lia Cheng with 12 crew members and the She Kou with 13 crew members. The authorities were conducting a seaborne patrol…
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The New Political Risk in the South China Sea
Fed up with elites, voters flock to a populist outsider with an admired but checkered past, a macho persona and a record of insulting women, foreigners and the pope. He distrusts allies and promises to cut deals with adversaries. Is he destined to be a destabilizing leader? Or would responsibility moderate him? http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-new-political-risk-in-the-south-china-sea-1463505005
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Understanding the basis for China’s S. China Sea claims
The Permanent Court of Arbitration is expected to announce its ruling next month on the South China Sea sovereignty-dispute case initiated by the Philippines against China. China has said it will not accept, participate and enforce the ruling. China has always stressed that the South China Sea sovereignty dispute should not be viewed only from the perspective of the law,…
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Taiwan to reject arbitration award if tribunal won’t visit Taiping
TAIWAN will never accept the upcoming ruling of The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) if it won’t visit the disputed Itu Aba or Taiping Island in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). “Any aspect of the award that undermines ROC sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands and affects ROC maritime entitlements will not be binding on the…
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South China Sea Homework for Taiwan’s President-Elect
Tsai will need to have a strategy for handling Taiwan’s sovereignty claims in the South China Sea. Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou and the president-elect, Tsai Ing-wen, held a high-profile meeting on March 30. As expected, Ma proactively exchanged opinions with Tsai on protecting Taiwanese sovereignty on the South China Sea; Tsai, meanwhile, emphasized that her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has…
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Challenge China ‘expansionism’ over disputed islands, Duterte told
The administration of presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte must continue to challenge the “expansionism” of China over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), a think tank has said. The ADR Institute for International Studies (ADRi) said the pending arbitration case on China’s claims over our disputed islands should be “a major policy decision that the next President must address.” Read…
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FROM FRONTIER TO FRONTLINE: TANMEN MARITIME MILITIA’S LEADING ROLE
Our series on the leading maritime militias of Hainan Province continues with this second installment in a two-part in-depth examination of the maritime militia of Tanmen Township. Since its founding in 1985, this force has transformed from an entrepreneurial fishing collective on China’s marine frontier to a reliable frontline unit in increasingly vigorous sovereignty promotion. In part one we discussed…
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Chinese embassy in U.S. refutes Washington Post editorial on South China Sea
WASHINGTON, May 16 (Xinhua) — The Chinese Embassy in the United States on Monday refuted an editorial by The Washington Post on the South China Sea dispute, denying false accusations and clarifying historical facts and the Chinese stance. In a letter called “Provocations in the South China Sea” to the Post, Zhu Haiquan, spokesman for the Chinese embassy, wrote that…
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UN arbitration of South China Sea spat between Philippines and China: A roundup
A United Nations arbitration court is expected to issue a ruling in the coming weeks on a long-standing maritime dispute between China and the Philippines. Manila had initiated the proceedings in January 2013, arguing that Beijing’s claims over much of the South China Sea violated UN conventions. The spat has become a semi-crisis in relations between China and the United…