News
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China tells US to not take sides on South China Sea issue
SUMMARY BEIJING, China – China said the United States must refrain from “stirring up trouble” or taking sides on the South China Sea issue, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a security deal with the Manila extended to attacks on the Philippine coast guard. Blinken called the US security commitment with the Philippines […]
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Marcos eyes stronger PH-US-Japan ties as Beijing decries Manila’s ‘provocations’
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hopes to “strengthen the cooperation” between the Philippines, United States, and Japan as China amps up its rhetoric against Manila over the South China Sea. “We hope the intention is to continue to plan, to strengthen the cooperation between the three countries—the United States, Japan, and the […]
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Philippines says sovereignty is key in South China Sea talks
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the country’s sovereignty and territorial jurisdiction are essential principles should there be a resumption of joint exploration talks with China in the South China Sea. “We cannot, at any point somehow compromise the territorial integrity of the Philippines,” Marcos told reporters late Friday in Prague. […]
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Atin Ito plans another try at civilian mission to West Philippine Sea
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The coalition that tried to lead a civilian mission to features in the West Philippine Sea in late 2023 is going at it again, this time planning a mission to Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc which may include international observers. Atin Ito – composed of Akbayan Party, the Philippine Rural […]
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View from Manila: ASEAN differs on China, and a little squabble over the Eras tour
SUMMARY There is one thing that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can agree on at any given time: the importance of ASEAN centrality, or the notion that the bloc must be the “dominant regional platform to overcome common challenges and engage with external powers.” And there’s another thing the 10 members can agree […]
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Marcos on West Philippine Sea: We have not rejected any proposal China made to us
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asserted that his administration has not turned down any suggestion raised by China in managing the escalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea. “We have not rejected any proposal that China made to us, but the premise is something we question,” he said during a joint press […]
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DFA fumes as China makes public ‘sensitive details,’ including Duterte-era deal
SUMMARY At least once a month, when the Philippine military and the Philippine Coast Guard voyage to Ayungin Shoal for a mission to bring new troops and supplies to the BRP Sierra Madre, both Beijing and Manila are quick to issue statements on the inevitable tensions out in open sea. Confrontations, including one in early […]
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FACT CHECK: No Marcos order expelling China from West PH Sea
SUMMARY Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has sent China away from the West Philippine Sea following reports of Chinese presence in Bajo de Masinloc. Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube channel with 384,000 subscribers posted a video on February 28, which has gained 994 likes, 37,430 views, and 227 comments as of writing. The video’s […]
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Marcos says Ayungin incident no reason to invoke MDT
SUMMARY MELBOURNE, Australia – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, March 6, said it is not the time to invoke the country’s Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States, even after four Navy personnel sustained minor injuries from actions of the China Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea. “I do not think that it […]
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FULL TEXT: Marcos urges ASEAN to ‘collectively and constructively address challenges together’
SUMMARY MELBOURNE, Australia – Speaking before fellow leaders and Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Australia Special Summit, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on the bloc to see conflicts not just through the lens of major power rivalry but as “direct challenges to the sovereignty of independent states.” […]
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Philippines says China ‘deliberately stirring up trouble’ in South China Sea
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines on Wednesday, March 6, accused China of “deliberately stirring up trouble” in the South China Sea. Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for a Manila task force on South China Sea, also said China is “maliciously inciting hype” while reiterating the Philippines will not be deterred from exercising its maritime rights. He […]
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US reaffirms: MDT covers ‘armed attacks’ on PH Coast Guard in South China Sea
SUMMARY MELBOURNE, Australia – The United States on Wednesday, March 6 (late Tuesday, March 5 in Washington DC), affirmed that attacks on the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) are covered by the decades-old Mutual Defense Treaty that binds Washington and Manila. “The United States stands with our ally the Philippines following the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) provocative actions against lawful Philippine […]