Philippines
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China’s Frustrated Neighbors Weigh Their Alternatives
MANILA—The Philippines said Vietnam was considering joining its challenge to Beijing at an international tribunal, the clearest sign yet the two countries could join forces over maritime disputes with China. Vietnam has “exhausted all dialogue channels” with Beijing, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told the World Economic Forum in Manila on Thursday. “China not only […]
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Xi Jinping’s Excellent Adventure: A Calibrated Takeover of the South China Sea
China, Japan, Militarization, Oil Rig, Paracels, Philippines, Russia, South China Sea Dispute, USA, VietnamChairman Mao’s “little red book” is no longer a fashion accessory in Beijing, but China’s leaders seem to be drawing inspiration from one of its aphorisms: “There is great disorder under the Heavens and the situation is excellent.” Judging by the calculatedly risky steps they have taken — like moving a gigantic drilling rig deep […]
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ALL TALK? | Allies question US’ ‘ironclad commitment’ amid Chinese aggression
WASHINGTON/MANILA — US President Barack Obama sought to reassure allies in Asia last month that the United States would support them in the face of a more assertive China. But after one of Beijing’s boldest moves in years to lay claim to contested waters off Vietnam, some Asian countries are asking a simple question: Where […]
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Beijing’s dangerous arrogance in the South China Sea
Anti China Protesters, China, Illegal Fishing, Indonesia, Intentional Rammings, Mob Violence, Natuna, Oil, Oil Rig, Philippines, Poaching, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Vietnam, Water CannonChina’s current behaviour vis-à-vis its South China Sea neighbours is aggressive, arrogant and smacks of Han chauvinism and ethnocentrism. Far from being an expression of national pride, it is giving patriotism a bad name. Patriotic Hongkongers should recognise it for what it is: a dangerous ploy. Not only has Beijing bared expansionist teeth to Vietnam […]
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Nanda: Standoff in the South China Sea
Anti China Protesters, China, Illegal Fishing, Intentional Rammings, Mob Violence, Oil, Oil Rig, Philippines, Poaching, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Vietnam, Water CannonChina claims sovereignty over almost 80 percent of the South China Sea, which is rich in oil and gas and fisheries and is a busy waterway for world trade. Territorial disputes there as well as in the East China Sea have pitted China against several neighboring countries. Although China has avowed a desire to have […]
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Pinoys, Vietnamese join anti-China protest as PH lawmaker says Hanoi eyeing case in UN tribunal
Anti China Protesters, China, Illegal Fishing, Intentional Rammings, Mob Violence, Oil, Oil Rig, Paracels, Philippines, Poaching, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Vietnam, Water CannonMANILA – (11:31PM) Several hundred Filipino and Vietnamese protesters united in a march on Friday, demanding that China stop oil drilling in disputed South China Sea waters, as a Filipino lawmaker revealed Hanoi officials were mulling over filing a separate case against China – similar to what Manila filed in 2013 – over their maritime […]
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Closer look at the reclamation, outpost on Mabini Reef
MANILA, Philippines — What used to be a mere rock formation in the Philippine-claimed waters in South China is now expanding to become an island alongside existing buildings and facilities nearby. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) recently sighted new conversion activities conducted by China on Mabini (Johnson South) Reef, located 118 nautical miles off […]
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Why Did China Set Up an Oil Rig Within Vietnamese Waters?
The who, what, where, when and how of China’s HD-981 oil rig foray into Vietnamese waters have been addressed comprehensively, both by commentators here at The Diplomat and elsewhere. The enduring question, as with many of China’s provocative actions in the Asia-Pacific, remains why? The opacity of China’s internal decision-making processes makes it rather difficult to conclusively answer that question, but a good amount […]
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In High Seas, China Moves Unilaterally
BEIJING — It is the pride of China’s state-run oil industry and the nation’s first deepwater drilling rig, a vessel as big as a football field and as tall as a 40-story building, with a $1 billion price tag. Last week, it crawled through the South China Sea, pulled by heavy-duty tugs, and parked in […]
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Beijing adopts contrasting approaches in South China Sea spats
China, Domestic Policy, Illegal Fishing, Intentional Rammings, Oil Rig, Paracels, Philippines, Poaching, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, VietnamChina is adopting very different approaches to disputes with Vietnam and the Philippines in the contested South China Sea, reports Duowei News, an outlet run by overseas Chinese. On May 4, Chinese and Vietnamese naval ships engaged in a tense standoff near a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters off the Paracel Islands in the […]