West Philippine Sea
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Philippines, Russia: Duterte Reportedly Invited Rosneft to Conduct Oil Exploration in South China Sea
What Happened: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly invited Russian oil giant Rosneft to conduct oil exploration operations in the South China Sea during a visit to Moscow last week, the South China Morning Post reported Oct. 8. Why It Matters: Duterte has long attempted to maintain a diplomatic balancing act between China and the […]
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Prague cuts sister-city ties with Beijing amid ‘tangible anger’ over pro-China policies
Prague’s decision to end its sister-city agreement with Beijing reflects “tangible anger” in the Czech Republic over the president’s pro-China policies, analysts say. The Prague city council voted on Monday to pull out of the partnership deal after mayor Zdenek Hrib’s unsuccessful bid to get Beijing to remove a “one China” pledge from the […]
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South China Sea crisis: Russia and China on collision course over Philippine oil bid
MOSCOW and Beijing could be on a collision course in the South China Sea after the Philippines invited Russian oil giant Rosneft to join it as an oil and gas exploration partner in the disputed waters. Russian activities in the region have been under scrutiny since July when Chinese survey ship Haiyang Dizhi 8 […]
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China Knows It Can’t Protect Every Island It Builds (Think South China Sea) But Beijing is building them anyway.
During World War II Japan found that control of islands offered some strategic advantages, but not enough to force the United States to reduce each island individually. Moreover, over time the islands became a strategic liability, as Japan struggled to keep them supplied with food, fuel and equipment. The islands of the SCS are conveniently […]
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Philippines’ hopes for South China Sea exploration deal with Russia depends on Moscow’s ties to China, experts say
Duterte needs one eye on Beijing while dealing with Rosneft, observers say The Philippines is following Vietnam in courting Russia as an oil and gas exploration partner in the South China Sea, where China also lays claim to the waters. Observers said that while relations with Beijing are high on President Vladimir Putin’s agenda […]
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‘Chief diplomat’
Before he ended his official visit in Russia last Saturday, President Rodrigo Duterte received a doctorate’s degree in diplomacy, an honoris causa conferred upon him by the Moscow State Institute of International Relations University. This was the first honorary degree that the 74-year-old President Duterte ever accepted. The honorary degree on diplomacy is quite […]
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Pat Buchanan: Is China the country of the future?
“WHO LOST China?” With the fall of the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek, the defeat of his armies and the flight to Formosa, that was the question of the hour in 1949. And no one demanded to know more insistently than the anti-Communist Congressman John F. Kennedy: “Whatever share of the responsibility was Roosevelt’s […]
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Duterte finds ally in Mahathir on non-confrontation with China
MOSCOW – President Duterte has found an ally in Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in his view against antagonizing China over concerns that would affect their dealings with Beijing. “I cannot fight China. It would be a war which I can never win,” the President said during his speech before the Filipino community here […]
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A fight for love and glory
In a recent article (A tweet is just a tweet, Sept. 16), we used parts of the song “As time goes by” to describe the US-China trade war. On the surface, the US-China conflict appears to be a tariff battle. However, upon closer observation, one can see that it goes beyond the trade war. […]
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Duterte reiterates: PHL has no might in sea dispute vs. China
President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday reiterated that the Philippines cannot assert its rights in the disputed West Philippine Sea with China because it is like a war that the country “can never win.” “I cannot fight China. It would be a war which I can never win […] I do not have the might,” […]