West Philippine Sea
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‘Sea ruling just first step in struggle to last for generations’
THE Philippines should now muster the support of the international community in changing the mind-set of the Chinese people over their “ownership” of the South China Sea before their government would comply with the recent arbitration ruling in the Philippines’s favor, the architect of the Manila’s arbitration case said. Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio said Beijing is…
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Vietnam’s South China Sea Challenge
The July 12 judgement of the tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration regarding Manila’s case against Beijing’s South China Sea claims has reshaped the geostrategic landscape in Southeast Asia. But surprisingly, Vietnam has only issued a brief statement on the verdict, with Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Le Hai Binh saying that “Vietnam welcomes the arbitration court issuing its…
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Why Xi Jinping is fanning the South China Sea crisis
TOKYO — Chinese President Xi Jinping has continued to up the ante in the South China Sea dispute in a bid to overhaul a military whose dominant army has vehemently resisted change. “To put it simply, Xi Jinping’s major reforms of the People’s Liberation Army are a form of ‘army bashing,’” said an old cadre of the Chinese Communist Party.…
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Bracing for a Long Road in the South China Sea Dispute
WASHINGTON — Chinese ship and helicopter are seen during a search and rescue exercise near Qilian Yu subgroup in the Paracel Islands, which is known in China as Xisha Islands, South China Sea, July 14, 2016. Chinese ship and helicopter are seen during a search and rescue exercise near Qilian Yu subgroup in the Paracel Islands, which is known in…
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Scholars welcome The Hague ruling for East Vietnam Sea at int’l workshop
An arbitral tribunal’s ruling and the maintenance of peace and stability in the East Vietnam Sea have been highlighted in a joint consensus reached by scholars from Vietnam and other nations during an international conference held in the south-central city of Nha Trang. Delegates at the international workshop on the ‘Legal Status of Islands and Rocks in International Law and…
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How South China Sea ruling can be a ‘win-win’ for China and the world
China reacted with predictable dismay to the arbitral ruling of the tribunal convened under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea at the request of the Philippines to resolve its disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea. China cannot be expected to change its long-standing position on historical rights or its view that the tribunal’s decisions are…
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The Hague Tribunal’s South China Sea Ruling: Empty Provocation or Slow-Burning Influence?
Last month’s ruling by a tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the dispute brought by the Philippines against China has earned its place in maritime legal annals. Its precedent is likely to be felt beyond the South China Sea, but whether it will influence China is open to question. Unlike previous territorial disputes put before the International…
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Manila searches for low-hanging fruit in maritime row with Beijing
MASINLOC, ZAMBALES — Sixty-three-year-old Fred Manzano earnestly remembers how he and his fellow fishermen would hop onto Vietnamese boats those nights they navigated the waters surrounding Scarborough Shoal, a fishing ground whose resources he said were shared with their peers from another part of Asia. Sailing off the coast of Masinloc to Scarborough Shoal would take them 18 hours when…
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In bid to defend sovereignty, Indonesia plans to change name of South China Sea to Natuna Sea
In a bid to maintain its sovereignty in the region, Indonesia announced on Wednesday evening that it will seek to change the name of the South China Sea to the Natuna Sea in the area within 200 miles of its Natuna Islands. Ahmad Santosa, the Chief of Task Force 115, an agency combating illegal fishing, said the proposal will “be…
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SPRATLYS AS MARINE SANCTUARY FOR 100 YEARS?
SUPREME Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio yesterday pushed for the declaration by claimant countries of the Spratly group of islands as a marine protected area for 100 years to preserve its fragile marine ecosystem and allow fish stocks and other marine resources to replenish. Carpio made the appeal during the Forum on the Environmental Standpoint in the West Philippine…