West Philippine Sea
-
China seeks to name sea features in Philippine Rise
MANILA, Philippines — Why is China interested in conducting research in the Philippine Rise, an area in the Western Pacific where it has no maritime territorial claim? One possible answer, according to official sources: Beijing is seeking naming rights for seven or eight submarine mountains or seamounts and ridges in Benham or Philippine Rise and […]
-
Freedom of navigation in South China Sea
The United States Navy (USN) conducted a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the South China Sea on Jan 17 and, as anticipated, it created a current of excitement among security analysts. The main bugbear being that the operations were conducted within the 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal that China claims as part of […]
-
Protect the ‘Philippine Rise’; Prevent the ‘Philippine fall’
By Fidel V. Ramos Former Philippine President “It would be ‘dumb’ of the Philippines to allow China to explore Philippine Rise despite Beijing’s disrespect for a UN-backed arbitral court ruling recognizing Manila’s sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea…..” — Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 15 January 2018) “Benham, or […]
-
China to bring 4G+ telecom services on man-made islands in South China Sea
MANILA, Philippines — China’s navy and telecommunication corporations are reportedly working to improve communications system in Chinese-occupied features in the disputed South China Sea by bringing 4G+ services in the area. The Philippines claims parts of the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone and calls it the West Philippine Sea. On Friday, state-run […]
-
PH govt, being the steward of the national patrimony, needs to be transparent on Benham Rise
THE news that the Philippines has given its consent to China to conduct scientific research in Benham Rise, renamed Philippine Rise, has provoked much controversy. The Benham Rise, with a submarine area roughly the size of Greece, is believed to be rich in gas deposits. There is, therefore, great anxiety, in being informed about the […]
-
South China Sea claimants urged to ‘set aside’ row for environment’s sake
MANILA – Sovereignty issues in the South China Sea should be set aside to protect the environment, as years of unregulated fishing and China’s recent island-building caused fish catch to drop, an analyst said Friday. Over 160 square kilometers of coral reefs were “severely damaged or destroyed” due to “giant clam harvesting, dredging, and artificial […]
-
Duterte’s push for joint exploration in the South China Sea
From being a frontrunner in pressing China on the South China Sea disputes, the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte is seeking closer relations with China. In his state of the nation address in July last year, Duterte announced that he wants to begin a joint exploration venture with China in the South China Sea, in […]
-
Wanted: A Strategy to Limit China’s Grand Plans for the South China Sea
The United States has significantly accelerated the pace of it freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) in the South China Sea. Last year it conducted four such operations in the span of five months. This contrasts with the four FONOPs conducted during President Barack Obama’s entire second term. On January 17, the USS Hopper, a U.S. […]
-
Plenty of bumps on Xi’s New Silk Roads, on both land and sea
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative is an ambitious program to build infrastructure across 60-plus countries on four continents. There is an overland component that links China with Western Europe by rail. The sea component links coastal China with East Africa and Europe. This month, an additional proposal linked Europe and eastern Canada […]
-
Duterte’s push for joint exploration in the South China Sea
From being a frontrunner in pressing China on the South China Sea disputes, the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte is seeking closer relations with China. In his state of the nation address in July last year, Duterte announced that he wants to begin a joint exploration venture with China in the South China Sea, in […]