West Philippine Sea
-
Fisherfolk group decries Duterte’s ‘criminal negligence’ as Chinese fortifies military base in Kagitingan Reef
“Our winning in the case filed before the international tribunal has been disregarded not only by China but by the Philippine government itself.” MANILA — Early in 2016, there have already been reports on the building of military facilities by China on the disputed Kagitingan Reef, internationally known as the Fiery Cross Reef. […]
-
West Philippine Sea Task Force, think tank watch Chinese improvements
MANILA, Philippines — Was the Philippine government really unaware of where China has been expanding in the disputed South China Sea as claimed by Malacañang? The Philippines claims parts of the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone and calls it the West Philippine Sea. Last week, Chinese state-run newspaper Global […]
-
China softens tone in drive for Asia influence Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte meeting Chinese
LONDON — Before his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos last January, Mr Xi Jinping’s advisers presented him with four drafts of a speech for the annual gathering of global elites. According to two people familiar with the Chinese president’s preparations, Mr Xi chose to give the softest version, presenting China as […]
-
The South China Sea fell off Trump’s radar last year. He may have to pay attention in 2018.
HONG KONG — President Trump railed against a lot of things in 2017. Chinese construction in the South China Sea was not really one of them, despite his campaign tough talk. Focused on North Korea and evidently enamored of President Xi Jinping, the voluble U.S. president said relatively little as China continued to […]
-
A South China Sea Code of Conduct: Is Real Progress Possible?
At the recently concluded 31st ASEAN Summit Meetings in Manila, the leaders of ASEAN and China formally announced the start of negotiations on the fine print of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea. The agreement comes just three months after the foreign ministers from both sides endorsed the framework on the […]
-
S.China Sea island construction strengthens defense, helps locals
China has accelerated construction and enhanced its military presence on South China Sea islands and shoals over the past year as territorial tensions with neighboring countries are subsiding. China’s construction projects in the South China Sea region covered about 290,000 square meters in 2017, including new facilities for underground storage, administrative building and […]
-
Only unified international action can stop China’s expansion
Beijing is relentless in its pursuit of territory that it feels once was a part of the Middle Kingdom. A lack of coordination in resisting this irredentist activity is having consequences, for ignoring it merely delays – and worsens – the problem. For example, if the law-abiding nations of the world had taken […]
-
China island expansion moves ahead in South China Sea
BEIJING: China’s large-scale land reclamation around disputed reefs and shoals in the South China Sea is “moving ahead steadily”, state media has reported, and is on track to use giant “island-builders” to transform even more of the region. Beijing claims nearly all of the sea and has been turning reefs in the […]
-
China to make disputed islands bigger using ‘magic island maker’
MANILA, Philippines — China intends to use its “magical island maker” to expand the size of its reclaimed islands in the South China Sea following years of massive reclamations and despite continuing protests from neighboring countries. “The size of some South China Sea Islands will be further expanded in the future with more dredging […]
-
A Blueprint for Fisheries Management and Environmental Cooperation in the South China Sea
On the left, the relatively healthy but overfished reef flat surrounding Thitu Island; on the right, a reef flat approximately 1.5 nautical miles away destroyed by Chinese clam harvesters. Both photos dated February 2016, courtesy of John McManus. Total fish stocks in the South China Sea have been depleted by 70-95 percent since the […]