West Philippine Sea
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South China Sea: Embattled Duterte defends decision to yield to China
PHILIPPINES President Rodrigo Duterte was scrambling to defend his decision to yield to China over the South China Sea after opponents accused his actions of being unconstitutional. The maverick leader came under fire last week after giving Beijing a free pass to fish in the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone. Calls for impeachment came thick and fast from opposition leaders, while…
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South China Sea tensions: ‘Step up patrols – or face dictatorship’, Australia warned
AUSTRALIA has been urged to up its game in the South China Sea by stepping up patrols and adopting a more proactive approach as opposed to “the same old flag-waving”, a Canberra-based foreign policy think tank has said. And failure to act ran the risk of Australian itself eventually finding itself “strategically reliant on the benevolence of an expansionist dictatorship”,…
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Manila kowtows to Beijing, cedes Exclusive Economic Zone in South China Sea
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Duterte administration of the Philippines is continuing to cede ground in the South China Sea through an “informal” and “undocumented” agreement between President Duterte and Chairman Xi Jinping. With many citizens of the Philippines already concerned over the government’s unwillingness to safeguard the territory of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Monday’s (July 1) announcement…
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‘Lutong makaw’
The Philippine government has precooked the ingredients of investigation, and the resulting dish is a “lutong makaw.” I’m referring to the supposed investigation of the incident involving 22 Filipino fishermen who were abandoned drifting in open sea after their boat was rammed by a Chinese vessel. Our own government has made it utterly useless to do an investigation because…
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Zarate: Will Duterte statement allowing Chinese in EEZ translate to impeach votes?
Amid criticisms that President Rodrigo Duterte could be impeached for a statement allowing Chinese fishermen to trawl in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate pondered if such a statement could really translate into impeachment charges being leveled against the chief executive. “It is easy to file an [impeachment], but will it rise to…
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Duterte’s deal with China an ‘informal agreement’: Panelo
MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has an informal agreement with China that allows Chinese fishermen to trawl in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, the President’s spokesman revealed Monday. Duterte earlier said he could not bar Chinese fishermen in the Philippines’ EEZ due to a “mutual agreement” he made with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Duterte’s accord with China on fishing…
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Monsod disses Duterte for soft stance on West PH Sea: If China is our friend, we don’t need enemies!
Former socioeconomic planning secretary Winnie Monsod is disappointed at President Rodrigo Duterte for continuing to treat China with kid gloves despite its aggression in the South China Sea. Monsod, an economics professor at the University of the Philippines, disputed Duterte’s description of China as a friend. “If China is our friend, we don’t need any more enemies,” she said…
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Carpio presses Duterte on EEZ defense
MANILA, Philippines — The constitutional provision on the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is not “thoughtless” and “senseless” as President Rodrigo Duterte claims, Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said on Saturday. A fierce critic of the Duterte administration’s handling of the country’s territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea, Carpio said all the fish and…
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France vows to uphold international law in SCS
MANILA, Philippines — Following President Duterte’s challenge to Western powers to help the Philippines tackle China, France emphasized it is committed to promote and defend international law and its Navy will continue patrolling the South China Sea. French Secretary of State Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said France made clear during the 2019 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last month that it would…
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South China Sea dispute: China and Philippines frictions explained – What is going on?
THE South China Sea is one of the world’s busiest waterways and subject to several overlapping territorial disputes. Here is the tensions between China and the Philippines explained – what exactly is going on? The South China Sea disputes involve both island and maritime claims among several sovereign state within the region, namely China and the Philippines, but also Brunei,…