News
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OP-ED: China’s island-building a bigger threat than oil rig
Artificial Islands, China, Oil Rigs, Paracels, President Benigno Aquino III, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USA, VietnamWithout causing much of a stir, China has been quietly dumping sand onto reefs and rocks in waters claimed by Vietnam. In addition to altering the geography of the Spratly (Truong Sa) archipelago, China’s land reclamation work on Johnson South, Cuarteron, Fiery Cross, Gaven, and Kennan reefs could be used as a clever legal leverage in an international court battle,…
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ASEAN to pressure China to stick to diplomacy on maritime disputes
“There cannot be a situation where a bigger nation is simply allowed to bully smaller nations,” he told reporters in Beijing, where Obama attended the summit. Singapore sees the maritime disputes as one of the region’s biggest threats to security, Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam told reporters. Singapore will push for progress on a code of conduct that will reduce…
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President Aquino seeks support of India, U.N. member nations in sea dispute
NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar, Nov 13 — President Benigno S. Aquino III has sought the support of India and other members of the United Nations in easing tensions in the West Philippine Sea. The President made the appeal in his intervention during the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Summit held at the Sapphire Hall of the Myanmar International…
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Scarborough is Phl, antique maps show
Cartographic Exhibit, China, History, IMOA, Justice Antonio T. Carpio, Maps, Philippines, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, UPBeijing’s Communist rulers claim Scarborough Shoal by virtue of “ancient historical facts.” Yet, China’s own antique maps and official declarations debunk that line. Made in 1136 to 1933, the 18 old maps consistently show Hainan island-province always to have been China’s southernmost territory. Five Constitutions of the Republic of China – in 1912, 1914, 1924, 1937, and 1946 – reaffirm…
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PH-China trade growth ‘significant’
BEIJING—The bilateral relations between the Philippines and China continued to improve even as both countries continued to lock horns over their conflicting territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea, President Benigno Aquino III said here Sunday. He made the statement during the APEC CEO Summit when a business leader asked him about the relations between Manila and Beijing. “There are…
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America and Its Allies in the South China Sea: Dangerously Overmatched, Outgunned, and Outranged by China
Three books published this year contemplate Asia’s most vexing problem. Taken together, they provide a thorough understanding of the contest in the South China Sea. Still, they leave the reader with one large puzzle. Asia’s Cauldron recounts, in Robert Kaplan’s readable travelogue style, the fascinating political and economic trajectories of the nations surrounding the South China Sea. A strategic geographer,…
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South China Sea Disputes: Facts Or Fiction?
ASEAN, China, Code of Conduct, Philippines, Pivot, Rebalance, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, UNCLOS, USA, VietnamIf a country cites international law to justify its position while avoiding having that position tested in court, such use of international law is just rhetoric, and does not deserve support from scholars. In the article “Separating fact from fiction in South China Sea conundrum”,[1] Dr Mark Valencia decries “a veritable fountain of government pronouncements, propaganda, and biased analyses” and the…
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Kerry: US will defend allies in Asia-Pacific
Ayungin Shoal, China, Foreign Relations, John Kerry, Mutual Defense, Panatag Shoal, Rebalance, South China Sea Dispute, USAMANILA, Philippines – The United States wants stronger ties with China but is committed to defending allies in the region, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday. Kerry said he and US President Barack Obama would be working for the interests of their allies in the South China Sea when they meet leaders of the Asia Pacific region at…
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Taiwan’s live-fire drills on Spratlys infuriate Vietnam
A second day of live-fire drills conducted by the Coast Guard Administration on one of the disputed Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) drew condemnation from Vietnam, which also claims the South China Sea chain as its territory. The drills are conducted annually on the Taiwan-administered Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), said Shih Yi-che (施義哲), the administration’s head of communications.…
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US won’t ‘agree to disagree’ with China on sea row
MANILA, Philippines — Washington continues to take a strong position against the conduct of Beijing in the South and East China Seas despite its effort to deepen bilateral ties, the top American diplomat said. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a much-awaited statement on Wednesday that while the United States and China try to manage their differences, it is…
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Aquino Shows Support for Japan in the South China Sea
On Tuesday, Philippine President Benigno Aquino made several provocative comments that will have regional neighbors cheering and jeering in turn. While speaking at the presidential palace in the capital of Manila to Japanese reporters, Aquino outlined his desire to work more closely with Japan on matters of security, shortly before accusing China of complicating an already delicate situation in the…