Philippines
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China mounts detailed defence of South China Sea reclamation
Artificial Islands, China, Mischief Reef, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysBEIJING (Reuters) – China on Thursday sketched out plans for the islands it is creating in the disputed South China Sea, saying they would be used for military defence as well as to provide civilian services that would benefit other countries. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news briefing that the reclamation and […]
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Science and Geopolitics Converging in the Troubled Waters of the South China Sea
Artificial Islands, China, Ecology, Fisihing Rights, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea DisputeThe South China Sea remains at the epicenter of one of the most volatile maritime areas in the world, with little or no agreement on sovereignty claims to the ownership of atolls, submerged banks, islands, reefs and rocks. Yet South China Sea fishermen, marine biologists, and policy shapers agree that without an end to unsustainable […]
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South China Sea territorial clashes threaten environmental catastrophe
Artificial Islands, China, Ecology, Environment, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, VietnamChina’s mounting clashes with its neighbors over control of the South China Sea also could be fueling a major environmental catastrophe, endangering fishing stocks, threatening marine biodiversity and posing long-term threats to some of the globe’s most spectacular coral reefs. Environmental scientists say the dangers are increasing as the conflicting sovereignty claims heat up between […]
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US to Stop China on Sea Reclamation at Spratly
WASHINGTON – Leading senators expressed alarm on Thursday at the scale and speed of South China Sea and said a formal U.S. strategy was needed to slow or stop the work. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Republican Senators John McCain and Bob Corker and Democrats Jack Reed and Bob Menendez said that without a comprehensive strategy […]
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Meet the Chinese Maritime Militia Waging a ‘People’s War at Sea’
Artificial Islands, China, Fishing Rights, Japan, Militias, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea DisputeWhen the Philippines announced last week that it was restarting construction in disputed areas of the South China Sea in response to China’s own construction binge, it entered a contest it has virtually no hope of winning. Satellite images released in February reveal that China has undertaken an unprecedented series of construction and land reclamation […]
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Philippines making waves over China’s moves in disputed waters
Arbitration, China, Diplomatic Relations, Economics, EDCA, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, Oil, Philippines, Poaching, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysChina’s moves to explore for oil and undertake land reclamation projects on contested islets in the South China Sea have upset a number of its neighbors, including Vietnam. But none has taken a tougher stance against Beijing’s moves than the Philippines. The archipelago has shaped up as the loudest voice in Southeast Asia against China’s […]
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China wants to control South China Sea: Philippines
China, Fishing Rights, Intentional Rammings, Philippines, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysMANILA – The Philippines accused China on Thursday of seeking to take control of nearly the entire South China Sea with an expansionist agenda dominated by “massive reclamation” works. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said China’s efforts were aimed at undermining a United Nations tribunal that is due to rule early next year on […]
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Does ASEAN Have a South China Sea Position?
On March 25, Xinhua reported that Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen had reiterated that the South China Sea dispute is an issue between claimant states and China, not between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China. “It is not the issue of the whole of ASEAN, but the issue between claimant countries and […]
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Chinese South China Sea Reclamation Projects Hamper Philippines, Others’ Claims
Artificial Islands, China, Jay L. Batongbacal, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysMANILA— China is forging ahead with reclamation projects on at least seven tiny but hotly contested features in the South China Sea, posing what could be a major challenge in the Philippines’ international arbitration case against China. Surveys of the disputed outcroppings will be key. Since the beginning of the year, various satellite images of […]
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Checkmate: PH has lost West PH Sea to China, analysts say
Arbitration, Artificial Islands, China, Kalayaan Group of Islands, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSMANILA – It’s a checkmate. The Philippines has lost the West Philippine Sea to China, according to analysts. In light of recent intelligence photographs that show massive and extensive construction and reclamation activities by China in the West Philippine Sea, Congressman Ashley Acedillo and military historian Jose Custodio both believe that it is a veritable […]