Philippines
-
‘World should fear China’s actions in South China Sea’
China’s efforts to stake its claim to most of the South China Sea should spark fear around the world, with military conflict possible, Philippine President Benigno Aquino says. In an exclusive interview, Aquino also warned that China’s increasingly assertive actions raised the spectre of other nations having access cut to vital international shipping lanes and […]
-
DFA chief: 50 meetings with China reached dead end
MANILA, Philippines — The country’s top diplomat on Wednesday dismissed Vice President Jejomar Binay’s position that the country should resume bilateral talks with China on the sea row. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said Manila had exhausted all means to deal with Beijing directly in attempting to resolve or at least de-escalate the maritime […]
-
China reef work in Spratlys could lead to new air exclusion zone: US commander
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAWASHINGTON – China could eventually deploy radar and missile systems on outposts it is building in the South China Sea that could be used to enforce an exclusion zone over the disputed territory, the US military commander for Asia said on Wednesday. Admiral Samuel Locklear, speaking at a congressional hearing in Washington, described as “aggressive” the land reclamation and construction […]
-
US$11.5bn spent by China to expand disputed Fiery Cross Reef
Artificial Islands, China, Fiery Cross Reef, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Taiwan, USA, VietnamChina has spared no expense on its land reclamation activities in the South China Sea, spending an estimated 73.6 billion yuan (US$11.5 billion) on expanding Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratlys alone, reports our Chinese-language sister paper China Times. For at least a year, China has been actively reclaiming land on seven islands in the […]
-
Chinese reclaimed land worries US
Artificial Islands, China, Great Wall of Sand, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USATOKYO — An influential U.S. Navy official made waves recently with an unusually open criticism of Beijing. “China is creating a great wall of sand, with dredges and bulldozers, over the course of months,” he said. U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Harry Harris’ remarks highlight a growing sense of crisis among American military about Beijing’s recent behavior in […]
-
South China Sea: China Is Building on the Paracels As Well
Artificial Islands, China, Paracels, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, VietnamAs Vietnam’s Communist Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong met with China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week, China’s government news service Xinhua extolled a “deep-rooted partnership” between the two nations. But 400 kilometers off Vietnam’s coast, in the Paracel Islands, China was rapidly consolidating its hold on islands that both countries vehemently claim as […]
-
Who’s Got the Biggest Muscles in the South China Sea?
The United States and China have been trading barbs over each other’s ‘strength’ and ‘muscle’ as alarm continues to intensify about Beijing’s massive land reclamation activities in the South China Sea. U.S. President Barack Obama told a town-hall event in Jamaica last Thursday ahead of a Caribbean summit in Panama that Washington was concerned about […]
-
Binay: ‘China has money, we need capital’
MANILA, Philippines – In a preview of his approach toward China if elected president, Vice President Jejomar Binay stressed China’s economic might as he pushed for bilateral talks between Manila and Beijing over the disputed South China Sea. “May pera po ang China, kailangan po natin ng kapital (China has money, we need capital),” Binay […]
-
Not helpless against China
Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysAs we continue to preoccupy ourselves with debates on the Bangsamoro Basic Law and who really is responsible for the death of the SAF 44, China has been busy reclaiming the Spratly Islands and building structures on reefs considered by the Philippines as part of its exclusive economic zone under the UN Convention on the […]
-
PLA’s DF-21D anti-ship missile can reach Philippines: US report
China’s DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile has extended the attack range of the People’s Liberation Army Navy all the way to the Philippines, according to the US Navy’s first unclassified assessment report of the Chinese navy in six years. In The PLA Navy: New Capabilities and Missions for the 21st Century, released April 10, America’s Office […]