Ayungin Shoal
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US helped PH Navy in Ayungin mission
Ayungin Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre, China, Military Presence, Mutual Defense, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, USAMANILA, Philippines – The US assisted the Philippine Navy in the tense mission to rotate troops trapped for 5 months in the disputed Ayungin Shoal following China’s “blockade,” Philippine Ambassador to US Jose Cuisia Jr. said Friday, April 11. (READ: China harasses ship before pleading day and Ayungin trip ‘betrays’ PH intent) “I don’t specifically know the details and they…
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China’s maritime space being carved up: official
China is facing serious challenges to its maritime rights, with its resources being plundered and seas carved up, a senior oceanic official said Friday. Some islands have been encroached on and the security of strategic thoroughfares is threatened. Various conflicts have occurred in China’s waters, said Liu Cigui, director of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), according to the SOA’s official…
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Ayungin dilemma
The Ayungin Shoal recently came into focus in the Philippine public mind when Chinese coast guard ships prevented a Philippine civilian government boat from provisioning the marine outpost aboard the derelict BRP Sierra Madre. The latter was intentionally grounded by the Philippines in 1999, four years after the Chinese troops seized the nearby Mischief Reef and started building a permanent…
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Philippines tests rule of law
Arbitration, Ayungin Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre, China, Malaysia, Memorial, Nine Dash Line, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOS, USAOn March 30, the Philippines submitted a memorial detailing its arguments and evidence against China’s nine-dash line and other aspects of Beijing’s South China Sea claims to an arbitration tribunal at The Hague. The 10-volume, nearly 4,000-page document marks a bold step by Manila, and one that Beijing seems to have believed never would actually happen. The Philippines chose the…
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Mission possible to Ayungin Shoal: Get around China to revisit ‘LT 57’
HOORAY. Marine Sgt. Rey Sarmiento (R) and Pfc. Ryan Esteban react when the PH supply ship arrives March 29, alongside BRP Sierra Madre, their home for 138 days. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE AYUNGIN SHOAL, West Philippine Sea—Standing on the bridge of the AM700, our small resupply vessel, Navy Lt. (s.g.) Ferdinand Gato had his eyes on the looming image of a…
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Why Joma Sison supports Philippines’ case vs China
Ayungin Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre, China, CPP NPA, itlos, Joma Sison, Memorial, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSMANILA – Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison on Friday said the Philippine government is right in filing a case against China before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). Sison, chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), said in a statement that it is better for Manila…
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US: We stand by our allies
Ayungin Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre, China, East China Sea Dispute, Memorial, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, USAWASHINGTON—“There should be no doubt about resolve of the United States. We stand by our allies and we stand by our commitments,” Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, the top US diplomat for East Asia, told a Senate panel that oversees policy in the region. The United States on Thursday cautioned China that it will meet its defense commitments to…
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PH on China: Judge us by actions, not words
Ayungin Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre, China, ICJ, itlos, Memorial, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSMANILA, Philippines – The Philippines rebuked China on Friday, April 4, for its aggressive behavior in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) as it dismissed that country’s barrage of statements against the Philippines on a historic case. “Countries should be judged by their actions, not by their words,” Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a rare statement.…
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China’s strategy vs PH: Trial by publicity
Arbitration, Ayungin Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre, China, ICJ, itlos, Memorial, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, UNLOSMANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Even as it strongly criticized the Philippines for “hyping up” the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) issue, China’s recent statements against its challenger show that it has taken the same tack by subjecting the Philippines to trial by publicity. This legal but out-of-court battle against the Philippines becomes clearer days after the latter submitted a…
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The Philippines’ South China Sea Memorial: Sailing into the Wind
Ayungin Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre, China, Natuna, Philippines, Second Thomas shoal, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysThe Philippines has put its disputed territorial claims before an arbitration tribunal in The Hague. According to Gregory Polin, Manila’s arguments against China’s ‘nine-dash line’ and rival claims are entirely justified. It’s now up to the tribunal to weigh in and convince Beijing of these ‘facts’. By Gregory Poling for Pacific Forum CSIS Editor’s note: This article was reposted from…