News
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Philippines’ top judge says Beijing’s South China Sea claims pose ‘gravest threat to nation since World War II’
MANILA – China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, in defiance of a 2016 international arbitration ruling, is the “gravest external threat since World War II” to the Philippines, the acting head of the nation’s Supreme Court has said. At a forum in Manila on Saturday, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio encouraged Filipinos to ask the entire world to…
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Foreign powers enforcing ruling on South China Sea
MANILA, Philippines — Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio disputed yesterday Malacañang’s claim that “no power on earth” can enforce an international arbitral court’s ruling invalidating China’s massive claim in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea. Speaking at the first general assembly and forum of the Akademyang Filipino at the University of the Philippines Professional Schools in Taguig…
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Gigantic fraud, Carpio calls China sea claim
It may be a tall task, but Filipinos should start educating 1.4 billion Chinese people that their belief that China owned the entire South China Sea is a “gigantic fraud,” acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio said on Monday. “The Chinese government today would not comply with the [arbitral] ruling until the Chinese people understand that that historical narrative is totally…
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Acting Chief Justice Carpio insists South China Sea ruling not useless
Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio rejected Malacañang’s recent claim that “no power on earth” could enforce the UN arbitral court’s ruling which invalidated China’s Nine-Dash Line claim in the West Philippine Sea. Carpio pointed out that the navies of the US, Britain, Japan and other naval had been able to regularly carry out freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea…
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China critic loses bid to become Philippines’ chief justice
Duterte appointees poised to dominate high court MANILA — A high-profile critic of Beijing’s military buildup in the South China Sea has lost his bid to become the Philippine Supreme Court’s next chief justice. Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and three other contenders, lost to Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin, who took the oath on Wednesday after he was picked by…
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Panelo: Carpio stance on South China Sea dispute not a factor for non-appointment
President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision not to appoint Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio as chief justice of the Supreme Court had nothing with to do with their differences over the government’s South China Sea policy, Malacañang said Thursday. “Walang kinalaman. Si Presidente hindi naman tinitingnan ‘yung background kung kalaban siya, minura siya,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo told reporters. He again cited…
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New facilities to aid S. China Sea studies
Construction of a new base to support China’s archaeological studies in the South China Sea began in Qionghai, Hainan Province, on Tuesday. Hu Bing, deputy director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said the base is planned as a complex of facilities for research, underwater excavation and conservation of historical heritage in the South China Sea. It will also be…
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US Navy warships just rocked the Taiwan Strait in a power play ahead of Trump’s meeting with the Chinese president
The US Navy sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait Wednesday, just days ahead of a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale, accompanied by the Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler USNS Pecos, transited the strait, US Pacific Fleet explained to Business Insider in an emailed statement. “The…
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If Trump Doesn’t Draw a Red Line on Ukraine, Putin Will Only Get Bolder
Tensions flared up in Ukraine this week when Russian naval vessels rammed a Ukrainian tugboat in the Sea of Azov on Nov. 25. The sea, over which Ukraine and Russia share navigation rights, has become a flashpoint since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Over the last six months, Russian forces have been unlawfully detaining commercial ships seeking passage to…
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Despite South China Sea Tensions, Air Force Commander Sees No Overt Intercept Threat
There haven’t been a lot of aircraft intercepts in the South China Sea even as tensions in the region become increasingly uneasy, a top Air Force general said Monday. As China continues to build up contested islands in the region, U.S. Air Force strategic bombers such as the B-52 Stratofortress have not been overtly threatened during recent patrols, said Gen.…
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The Philippines: Made in China?
Could Duterte’s pursuit of closer relations with China cost him his political popularity in the Philippines? Hanging from the footbridge of the fourteen-lane Quezon Avenue in Metro Manila on a July morning was a red banner bearing bold letters. “Welcome to the Philippines, Province of China.” The inspiration for this prank was a statement by no other than President Rodrigo…
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Hilbay: PH discarding Hague win with China oil deal
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 26) — Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay warned that the Philippines is “throwing away” its 2016 victory over China in an arbitral ruling by entering into an agreement to pursue talks on a joint oil and gas exploration. “By signing this MOU (memorandum of understanding), we’re going backwards, not recognizing our win, throwing away the…