West Philippine Sea
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Decoding Australia’s Strange Silence Over China’s Transgressions in the South China Sea
Australia’s 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper strongly advocates the geostrategic concept of the Indo-Pacific and the global rules-based order. In its first comprehensive guide-book for international engagement in 14 years, Canberra makes the case for an Indo-Pacific of openness, prosperity, and inclusiveness. Of note, the term Indo-Pacific appears more than 70 times in the document. […]
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Revisiting the Hague arbitral ruling
I am reprinting portions of an article written by Filipina Johanna Son, a resident of Bangkok which had extensive quotes from Marites D. Vitug. It came out in the Bangkok Post on Aug. 20, 2018 which I also reprinted with permission. Based on recent pronouncements from the Palace, it would seem that President Duterte […]
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Chinese warships’ entry illegal, Palace says
CHINA is violating international law for the unauthorized entry of its warships into Philippine waters, President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s spokesman said yesterday. “It’s a violation of the UNCLOS,” presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo told reporters yesterday, referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. “I am sure the secretary of […]
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Palace to Chinese envoy: What happened to commitment over China warships in PH waters?
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang will ask Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua to explain the presence of Chinese warships in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) without informing the Philippine government, a move that broke the Chinese envoy’s earlier commitment. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said Zhao assured him on July 22 that the Chinese Navy will […]
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Panelo to Zhao: PHL won’t change position on arbitral ruling either
Malacañang on Thursday stood by the arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s expansive claim to the South China Sea after Beijing’s envoy said their position on the matter remained the same. Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua indicated last week that Beijing will continue to not recognize the Philippines’ victory at The Hague-based Permanent Court […]
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Philippines firm in South China Sea arbitral victory vs China
MANILA – The Philippines remains firm in its victory against China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea and would push for talks to settle the maritime dispute, a Malacañang official said Thursday. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Manila would not be swayed from raising its arbitral victory even as Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines […]
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Washington Sleeps While China Makes Waves in South China Sea
Dark clouds continue to hang over the East Sea horizon because of China’s provocative actions in offshore oil and gas operations in disputed waters, and the nearby escalating Hong Kong protests, forcing many observers to give pause about the mariner weather lore: “Red sky in the morning, sailors (citizens) take warning.” At last month’s Center […]
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Chinese warships spotted anew in Philippine waters
MANILA, Philippines — Chinese warships have been recently spotted passing through unannounced within Philippine territorial waters, the military said Wednesday. Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said two Chinese warships were spotted in Sibutu Strait by the Philippine Navy on separate occasions in July and three more in August. “It was not an […]
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China lost invasion of Malay Empire
Revisionists claim that China is not war-like, that it never invades neighbors, like the Malays. History belies that. In 1293 Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty tried to subjugate Java, seat of the emergent Majapahit Empire, now part of Indonesia. In the past 2,000 years China has coveted surrounding riches. Kublai Khan dispatched 30,000 foot […]
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Rodrigo Duterte is ‘selling out’ to China, says Philippine VP Leni Robredo
Philippine Vice-President Leni Robredo said citizens were worried Rodrigo Duterte was “selling out” to Beijing and called on the president to take a stronger stand to protect the country’s sovereignty in the disputed South China Sea. Robredo, who is keeping her options open regarding the presidential race in 2022, said in an interview on […]