News
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Duterte’s suicide mission to Pag-asa Island
President Duterte addressed China on Friday: “Let us be friends, but do not touch Pag-asa Island and the rest. If you make moves there, that’s a different story. I will tell my soldiers, ‘Prepare for suicide mission.’” Strong words, indeed! A defiant statement reported all over the world. Apparently, the statement is not off the cuff. The Philippine government…
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Lutong Makaw
My father, the late Max Soliven once wrote about China. He said: The People’s Republic of China, once a pariah and “doomed” to failure in the world’s eyes after the June 1989 Tienanmen Square “massacre,” is now the Travel Destination of the Year. In ancient times, the saying went that “all roads lead to Rome.” Not anymore. Even Wal-Mart and…
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Islands in the South China Sea May See More Visitors
The Philippines is making it easier for the public to visit a small island in the disputed South China Sea. A boat ramp is being built on Thitu Island, which is controlled by the Philippines. The ramp is designed to help small boats be brought to shore. It is expected to be finished this year. The move may signal…
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Russian Navy sees terrorism, piracy as top Asia-Pacific threats
MANILA, Philippines – The Russian Navy sees terrorism and piracy as the “main threats” in the Asia-Pacific region, while keeping mum on the expansive claims of China in the South China Sea. “If we take a look at the main threats, we think it’s international piracy, and of course, international terrorist threat,” said mission head Russian Navy Captain Sergey…
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Russian warships arrive in the Philippines amid rising South China Sea tensions
Russian warships arrive in the Philippines amid rising South China Sea tensions (CNN)Two Russian destroyers and a tanker have docked in the Philippines for a “goodwill visit” amid escalating tensions in the disputed South China Sea. The destroyers Admiral Tributs and Vinogradov — classified as “large, anti-submarine ships” — docked in Manila early Monday, along with the Admiral Irkut, a…
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Philippines Is Beginning To Pay The Price For Duterte’s South China Sea Flip-Flops
The Philippines is beginning to pay the price for President Rodrigo Duterte’s South China Sea policy flip-flops in the form of repeated challenges to the country’s sovereignty by Beijing. China considers the South China Sea its own sea, all of it. And it seems to be prepared to do whatever it takes to assert control over every tiny island, natural…
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Rody’s tough talk on china praised
Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario commended President Rodrigo Duterte for taking a strong stance against perceived Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea amid huge presence of its vessels near islands occupied by the Philippines. “Our President is manifesting his own brand of leadership which in this instance is both appropriate and admirable,” Del Rosario said…
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Duterte threatens Beijing over South China Sea
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to send his troops on a “suicide mission” if Beijing doesn’t “lay off” a Manila-occupied island in the South China Sea, the media reported on Friday. Duterte’s speech at a rally in the city of Puerto Princesa in Palawan came days after the Philippine government claimed as many as 275 Chinese boats and…
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Chinese boats near Philippine isles a concern –US official
BANGKOK — The presence of large numbers of Chinese vessels near islands and islets occupied by the Philippines is “a concern,” a senior US defense official said on Friday. The Philippine government protested the Chinese ship movements on Thursday after its military monitored more than 200 Chinese vessels from January to March in a disputed area named Sandy Cay,…
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U.S. and Chinese bombers soar over Western Pacific as area sees ramped-up military drills
B-52 bombers from Guam have trained with Air Self-Defense Force and Okinawa-based U.S. fighter jets in the Western Pacific, just days after China sent a total of six bombers and other aircraft through a key entryway into the Pacific for their own military exercises. “Two B-52H Stratofortress bombers took off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and conducted integrated…
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US and Chinese bombers have been flexing their muscles over an important waterway
Days after China sent a half-dozen bombers into the Pacific for military exercises, US Air Force B-52 bombers and F-15 fighters linked up with Japanese aircraft for joint drills. Two B-52H Stratofortress heavy long-range bombers out of Andersen Air Force Base on Guam joined F-15 Eagles from Kadena Air Force Base for exercises with the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force on…
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China Expected to Keep Its Exact Claim to Disputed Sea a Secret
TAIPEI — China is withholding details on the boundaries of its vast claims to a resource-rich sea contested by five other governments because it distrusts international law and wants to ensure control over tracts of water that it considers crucial, maritime scholars say. Exactly what Beijing claims in the South China Sea surfaced as in issue March 7, when Malaysian…