West Philippine Sea
-
U.S. Tanks in Putin’s Backyard; Stealth Planes to South China Sea
Tanks on the Black Sea. For the first time ever, the U.S. Army has sent Abrams tanks to take part in an exercise in Georgia, on the Black Sea coast. The tanks will take part in an annual exercise on Russia’s southern flank, where Moscow fought a war in 2008. About 1,300 troops from Georgia, the U.K., and the United…
-
UN ruling on South China Sea ‘may impact other countries’
China said yesterday that more than 30 other countries might find themselves unwittingly embroiled in legal battles similar to the case brought by Manila against Beijing over disputed claims to the South China Sea. The comments by senior Chinese diplomat Ouyang Yujing takes Beijing’s argument that the UN tribunal hearing the case has no jurisdiction a step further and is…
-
Beijing’s agents of disinformation now operating in PH
THIS HAS reference to Salvador France’s letter titled “Indeed, US bases removal in 1992, a magnificent decision” (Opinion, 4/26/16). I had the privilege of serving in Moscow on the eve of the demise of the Soviet Union. One notable event with this demise was the defection of many KGB agents to Boris Yeltsin. Some of these agents talked openly about…
-
Palace hits out at China over maritime disputes
Malacañang on Sunday denounced China’s refusal to take part in a proceeding to resolve the disputes in the South China Sea, filed before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, an international organization based in the Peace Palace, The Hague. “The participation of the Philippines in international arbitration proceedings of the arbitration court is a strong adherence to the principles enshrined in…
-
Taiwan Asserts Island Claim in Philippines’s South China Sea Hague Case
A private group in Taiwan has filed to intervene in a case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, asserting that at least one territory in the South China Sea belongs to neither the Philippines nor China, but to the “Republic of China,” Taiwan. The Chinese (Taiwan) Society of International Law has filed an intervening submission, asserting they…
-
How America Picks Its Next Move in the South China Sea
On May 10, 2016, the USS William P. Lawrence conducted the United States’ third recent South China Sea freedom of navigation operation (FONOP). Many in Washington had been expecting a FONOP for several weeks, because the last FONOP was over three months ago and a defense official previously committed to conduct two such operations per quarter. Reports suggested that a…
-
(News Focus) Diplomatic quandary looms over South China Sea dispute
SEOUL, May 10 (Yonhap) — South Korea is facing a diplomatic challenge as an international tribunal is expected to render its landmark ruling in the Philippines’ legal battle against China over their dispute in the South China Sea as early as this month, observers said Tuesday. Although Seoul is not embroiled in any spat over the contested waters, it has…
-
Taiwan enters South China Sea legal fray, as group seeks to sway international court
HONG KONG/TAIPEI (Reuters) – A Taiwanese group has intervened in the Philippines’ international court case against China’s claims in the South China Sea, pressing Taipei’s position that Taiwan is entitled to a swathe of the disputed waterway as an economic zone. The unusual submission has emerged just as judges at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague are poised…
-
France’s Pivot to Asia: It’s More than Just Submarines
On April 26, France’s defense shipbuilding company DCNS secured a victory in winning, against Japan and Germany, a long-awaited $40 billion Australian submarine deal. It may not come as a surprise to anyone who has been following France’s growing interest in the Asia-Pacific for the past five years. Since President François Hollande’s 2012 election, the country has launched an Asia-wide…
-
China’s military base-building in South China Sea unlawful
China’s lawless conduct in the South China Sea, which continues to heighten regional tensions, is hard to ignore. It is indispensable for the United States, Japan and other nations concerned to persistently point out the illegitimacy of China’s conduct to the international community. China recently had a military aircraft landing and taking off from a runway on an artificial island…