UNCLOS
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US urges China to respect PH’s arbitration move
MANILA – The United States on Sunday expressed support for the Philippines’ filing of a Memorial before an international arbitral court to support its claims on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). In a statement, US State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf lauded the Philippines’ peaceful ways of seeking a resolution of its dispute with China. “The United States…
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PH: We are determined to pursue case vs China
Ayungin Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre, China, Chinese Coast Guard, Memorial, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSMANILA — Amid another incident in the Ayungin Shoal on Saturday, the Philippines said it will not be stopped from pursuing a case against China before an arbitral tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The country will file Sunday its “memorial” – or written arguments – justifying its indisputable sovereignty over the West…
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Unfazed PH moves to stake claim over disputed seas
MANILA — Notwithstanding the recent actions of China, the Philippines proceeded to file its 4,000-page Memorial before a United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea-backed (UNCLOS) arbitral tribunal insisting its claim over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). “With firm conviction, the ultimate purpose of the memorial is our national interest. It’s about defining what is legitimately…
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Can Asia prevent its own Crimea?
With the world watching Ukraine with wary eyes, the U.S. Navy’s lead admiral in the Pacific suggested Asia could face a similar crisis if the continent’s other major power continues on its current path. Since 2009, China has stepped up what Philippine officials have called a “creeping invasion” in the South China Sea. Although less dramatic than Russia’s annexation of…
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South China Sea: Beijing’s ‘Salami Slicing’ Strategy – Analysis
Analysis, ASEAN, Ayungin Shoal, BRP Sierra Madre, China, Philippines, Salami Strategy, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSThe South China Sea is seeing increasing tension amongst the claimants. The Second Thomas Shoal is the latest addition to Beijing’s ‘Salami Slicing’ strategy of slowly acquiring small reefs and islands to consolidate its contested claim. By Darshana M. Baruah THE MOST recent tension in the South China Sea over the Second Thomas Shoal indicates a rising Chinese assertiveness in…
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A Budding Alliance: Vietnam and the Philippines Confront China
WASHINGTON, Mar 22 2014 (IPS) – Last year, the Philippines brought a complaint against China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea to the United Nations Arbitral Tribunal. It was a master stroke by the Philippine government. The Chinese “were really unprepared for that and were really embarrassed by it,” one of Vietnam’s top experts on Chinese diplomacy told me…
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Int’l political group to China: Follow rule of law in South China Sea dispute
A transnational organization of political groups from 60 countries has called on China to follow the rule of law in resolving the territorial dispute over parts of the South China Sea. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Centrist Democrat International (CDI) unanimously adopted an emergency resolution on March 19 calling on China to “respect its treaty obligations…
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China claims it forced Philippine ships away from disputed shoal
China said on Monday that coast guard ships had driven away two Philippine vessels which had tried to approach a shoal in the South China Sea in the latest flare-up of a long-running territorial dispute. The Chinese ships were patrolling waters around Second Thomas Shoal, known in China as the Ren’ai reef, when they spotted the Philippine boats, carrying construction…
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India Wades Into South China Sea Dispute
Recent remarks by ASEAN and Indian officials suggest that Delhi is looking to deepen its involvement in the South China Sea issue. Most notable are the remarks Shri Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East) of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, made last week at the Delhi Dialogue VI, an annual ASEAN-India dialogue. Speaking to the journalists at the conference, Wadhwa said: “We…
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Govt ‘will never accept’ China’s 9-dash line
Ayungin Shoal, Bajo de Masinloc, China, itlos, Nine Dash Line, Panatag Shoal, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSMalacañang declared on Wednesday that it would ‘never respect China’s nine-dash claim’ in the South China Sea and that no one – especially not Beijing – can prevent Filipino fishermen from plying the country’s waters. “[We will never respect it because] it’s a derogation of international laws. Nine-dash line is something we cannot accept,” said presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda. Lacierda…