News
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China to work with PHL on ship ramming probe – ministry
China on Tuesday said that it was are ready to enhance communication with the Philippines on the investigation on the June 9 Recto Bank ramming of a Philippine fishing boat by a Chinese vessel. “We are ready… [to] increase understanding, dispel mistrust and find out what actually happened” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang, adding, “China attaches great importance…
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Villanueva: Duterte gov’t in ‘state of confusion’ over Reed Bank incident
MANILA – Sen. Joel Villanueva on Tuesday said the administration appears to be in a “state of confusion” over the incident involving a Chinese vessel and a Filipino fishing boat in the Recto (Reed) Bank in the West Philippine Sea. In a statement, Villanueva said government officials must provide clarity about the incident, as he noted how administration officials changed…
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Locsin raises PH boat sinking at U.N., hits sea ‘felony’
‘It is a felony to abandon people in distress,’ says Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr, after President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed the issue as a ‘maritime incident’ MANILA, Philippines – Foreign Secretary Teodoro “Teddyboy” Locsin Jr raised at the United Nations (UN) the sinking of a Filipino boat by a Chinese ship in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea),…
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Philippines has ‘opening’ to raise Recto Bank collision at ASEAN summit
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has a chance to raise the sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese vessel in the West Philippine Sea during the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Thailand. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Junever Mahilum-West said the South China Sea, part of which is the West Philippine Sea, will be on the agenda of the summit…
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Clarifying the provisions of our PH-US defense pact
In the wake of various incidents involving Philippine claims and interests in the South China Sea (SCS), that body of water west of the Philippines that separates us from China in the north, Vietnam in the west, and Brunei and Malaysia in the south, some Philippine officials have voiced a need to review the Mutual Defense Treaty between the…
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It looks like the US has been quietly lowering the threshold for conflict in the South China Sea
The US has been steadily ratcheting up the pressure on China’s sea forces in a way that could lower the threshold for conflict in the South China Sea, which is already a hotbed of tension. The US is signaling a tougher stance toward the Chinese maritime militia, a paramilitary sea force disguised as a fishing fleet that is known…
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WATCH: How a Chinese ship sank a Vietnamese boat in 2014
MANILA, Philippines – The sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese ship in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) evoked memories of a similar incident involving a Vietnamese boat in 2014. On May 26, 2014, a large Chinese ship chased and rammed a Vietnamese fishing boat near an oil rig close to the disputed Paracel Islands in…
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China statement on PH boat ‘an insult to intelligence’ of Filipinos
MANILA, Philippines – China’s statement on the sinking of a Philippine boat in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) insults the intelligence of Filipinos, said a leading maritime law expert, as he enumerated falsehoods made by China. Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, also said China’s statement…
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Carpio sees Sino militia at work, urges ‘strong signal’ to China
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines should send a strong signal to China that a repeat of the ramming of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese vessel in the South China Sea could lead to a break of diplomatic ties, Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said on Saturday. A staunch critic of China’s maritime claims and conduct…
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Sea militia attacks could trigger US obligations under defense treaty
MANILA, Philippines — Foreign government-sanctioned attacks initiated by militia or armed civilians in the South China Sea may trigger the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) of the United States and the Philippines, US ambassador to Manila Sung Kim said. Kim, in an interview with “The Chiefs” aired on Cignal TV’s One News on Friday night, reiterated the US commitment to…
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Turbulent seas
For sure President Duterte is aware of the comments: he’s ready to declare war over garbage sales contracted by private parties, but his silence is deafening when Chinese believed to be maritime militias hit and sink a Filipino fishing boat and then abandon the fishermen to the elements. The sinking in Recto or Reed Bank is particularly sensitive because it…
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Philippines Turns to UN After Boat Collision in South China Sea
The Philippines has asked the United Nations to make protecting life at sea a priority after the collision this month between a Filipino fishing boat and a Chinese vessel in the South China Sea. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, in a post on his Twitter account, said he authorized the Philippine embassy in London to make an “appeal” to the…