The Pacific Ocean has become a chess board of moving pawns, castling kings, bluffs, and propaganda. China offers the moon to small countries, the US warns that no “free” gift comes without strings attached. When Trump pulled out of the… Read More ›
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China criticises US, Japan, Australia for ‘fanning’ tensions in South China Sea
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticised the United States, Japan and Australia for a joint statement on the South China Sea that he said was only “fanning the flames” of regional tensions just as countries have agreed to cool them… Read More ›
Philippines rules out talks with China over international tribunal ruling
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte assured US lawmakers Wednesday that he has no plans to negotiate with China over their territorial dispute in the South China Sea even as former President Fidel Ramos said he will meet with the President over… Read More ›
South China Sea: China creates facts, builds ground to serve them.
It was 1829 and a young nation seeking to protect key sea lanes dispatched a commodore to remote islets and reefs, “over which the sea broke.” He found safe anchorage and went on to report if a hostile power should… Read More ›
Malaysia joins the stand against China in South China Sea dispute
Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister said the country must defend encroachment of its sovereignty in a veiled swipe at China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, as tensions flared ahead of a regional meeting that Beijing will attend. Without directly… Read More ›
China is claiming air space over disputed areas of the South China Sea
China has warned Philippine air force and navy planes at least six times to leave areas around the disputed South China Sea, the Philippine military commander responsible for the region told a Senate hearing on Thursday. While Vice Admiral Alexander… Read More ›
US would welcome Japanese air patrols in South China Sea
The United States would welcome a Japanese extension of air patrols into the South China Sea as a counterweight to a growing fleet of Chinese vessels pushing China’s territorial claims in the region, a senior U.S. Navy officer told Reuters…. Read More ›
China’s Dangerous Game
China‘s intensifying efforts to redraw maritime borders have its neighbours, and the U.S., fearing war. But does the aggression reflect a government growing in power – or one facing a crisis of legitimacy? In the tranquil harbours that dot the… Read More ›
China intensifies aggression against Philippines fishermen in retaliation for jailing of Chinese fishermen
The following includes translations from Chinese media: I said in my post on August 16 that China exploited the Philippines’ error to expand the area of its patrol after the Philippines meted out severe punishment to Chinese fishermen for entry… Read More ›
China keeps changing excuses for South China Sea claims
Ancient Malays had crossed the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific millenniums before China started mapping its surrounding waters. With that fact, Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio prefaced a lecture last June at De La Salle University… Read More ›
Acts of war? China escalates attacks against Vietnam
On Tuesday, tensions between China and Vietnam escalated to near acts of war when a Chinese coast guard vessel apparently rammed into a Vietnamese coast guard vessel. The Vietnamese ship allegedly sustained some major damage, but did not sink. The… Read More ›
