West Philippine Sea
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New China ambassador to Philippines, an ASEAN expert, arrives in Manila
MANILA, Philippines – Seasoned diplomat Huang Xilian, Beijing’s former ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) based in Jakarta, is the Chinese government’s next pick as its ambassador to the Philippines, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines announced on Tuesday, December 3. Huang landed in Manila past midnight on Tuesday, welcomed by protocol officials from the Department…
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China is ‘coming closer’ but we don’t want a new adversary, NATO chief says
Soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army march during a parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China at Tiananmen Square on October 1, 2019 in Beijing, China. LONDON — NATO’s secretary general said the alliance needs to address the challenges and opportunities posed by an increasingly powerful China, but added that his 29-member defense organization…
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‘One step closer to disaster’: Photo reveals China’s bold land grab
A satellite image has revealed China’s latest bold move in its controversial plan to seize control of the hotly contested South China Sea. South China Sea conflict: Will Australia be forced into war? Pressure is mounting for Australia to get involved in the South China Sea conflict. China’s creeping militarisation of the South China Sea has advanced another step,…
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South China Sea chaos: China accused of ramping up tensions with surveillance balloons
CHINA has been accused of creating an early warning system to protect its illegal island fortress on the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Satellite images showing surveillance balloons above the man-made Mischief Reef have been seen as further evidence of China’s militarisation of the strategic stretch of water which also is claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the…
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US starts to push hard on its Indo-Pacific vision
BANGKOK — US President Donald Trump did not show up at the Asean Summit and related summits last month in Bangkok. Local media and many observers viewed his absence as evidence of the US wavering in its commitment to Asia, especially Asean. Prior to the Asean Summit, the US had announced suspension of trade privileges worth US$1.3 billion under…
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India, Japan oppose China’s bid on South China Sea code
Beijing wants to turn South China Sea Code of Conduct into a barrier to keep US, Japan and India away from disputed waters, New Delhi joins Tokyo to protest. India has joined Japan to oppose China’s latest move to press the ASEAN hard to insert in the proposed Code of Conduct on the South China Sea certain clauses that would…
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Duterte: WPS claim continues but war with China not an option
President Duterte said he was more inclined to settle for now with the economic gains in the West Philippine Sea that he negotiated with China instead of waging war against the giant neighbor over the South China Sea dispute. In an interview with CNN Philippines, Duterte reiterated that setting aside the 2016 Hague Ruling could mean economic gains for the…
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US Sending Ships to South China Sea to Teach Beijing, Not Fight It
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – An unusually strong surge of U.S. Navy activity this month in the South China Sea shows that Washington is trying to teach China a set of rules for operating in contested waters, official statements and scholars say. The Navy sent two ships into the Asian sea, which is increasingly controlled by China but disputed by five…
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Goading the country to go to war
A Greek-owned tanker carrying a Liberian flag on its way to Longkou, China passed though the South China Sea on Sept. 30, 2019. The ship named Green Aura is owned by the Aegean Company and manned by a Filipino ship captain named Manolo Ebora with 22 Filipino crew members on board. Ebora is a reserve officer of the Philippine navy…
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Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand: the new frontiers in US-China battle for influence
AS US-CHINA RIVALRY INTENSIFIES, SMALLER STATES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA SEEK A WAY TO THRIVE When it comes to establishing a new regional partner, American relations with its former cold war nemesis Vietnam surprisingly hold the most promise. From security and energy to aviation, bilateral ties show encouraging gains, although problems persist. In Hanoi, Esper met Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc,…