As the two possible ‘Joint Development Areas’ — “off Triton Island in the Paracels” and “Reed Bank off Philippine Palawan” [Note 1] — have almost been out of the minds of both the analysts and general public of the Philippines,… Read More ›
Scarborough Shoal
Indonesia says could take China to court over South China Sea
Indonesia could take China before an international court if Beijing’s claim to the majority of the South China Sea and part of Indonesian territory is not resolved through dialogue, Indonesia’s security chief said on Wednesday. Beijing’s claim to almost the… Read More ›
Philippines moves fighter jets into South China Sea
An epic battle brewing in the South China Sea just went up a notch. China is creating manmade islands on reefs in the region, which has ticked off neighbouring countries The Philippines now plans to station fighter jets and frigates… 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 ›
Destroy Chinese military bases in South China Sea now, says Philippines
This is the reality: China’s military leaders are rushing the construction of military bases in six different reef areas inside the Philippines’ exclusive 200 mile economic zone. The Philippines is doing nothing to immediately stop it. In a year’s time,… Read More ›
With J-20 fighters on artificial islands, China plans to dominate the South China Sea
In my article “Chinese Troops to Seize Zhongye Island Back from the Philippines in 2014” on January 11, 2014, I said, Chinese troops were planning to seize Zhongye Island back from the Philippines in 2014”. In my article two days… Read More ›
Philippines says Chinese ship rammed fishing boats in Scarborough Shoal
The Philippines said on Wednesday that a Chinese coast guard ship had rammed three Philippine fishing boats in the disputed Scarborough Shoal area of the South China Sea last week and Manila had protested to Beijing over the incident. China… Read More ›
Will South China Sea dispute arbitration bring peace to the region?
To this question the Philippines gives a positive answer. In its report today Reuters quotes the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry as saying, “The Vietnamese position is helpful in terms of promoting the rule of law and in finding peaceful and nonviolent… Read More ›
China rejects arbitration with Philippines in South China Sea dispute
The following commentary is based on media releases by the Chinese government: Reuters says in its report “China denounces Philippine ‘pressure’ over sea dispute arbitration” yesterday, that China has denounced the Philippines for putting it under pressure with international arbitration… Read More ›
China rejects Philippines protest on ships, complains of detentions
China rejected Philippine complaints on Wednesday about Chinese survey vessels operating in a gas-rich area of Manila‘s exclusive economic zone, and has lodged a separate complaint about the detention of Chinese workers, as tensions persist. Philippine President Benigno Aquino said… Read More ›
Philippines urges unity for South East Asian nations in China sea dispute
The Philippines is pushing for a meeting among four Southeast Asian nations with conflicting claims to waters in the South China Sea so that they can hammer out a common stand in dealings with China, Manila‘s foreign minister said on… Read More ›
US military plans new tactics to deter China in South China Sea
The US is developing new military tactics to deter China’s slow but steady territorial advances in the South China Sea, including more aggressive use of surveillance aircraft and naval operations near contested areas. The rethink comes in the wake of… Read More ›
Philippines says U.S. obligated to help in case of attack by China
The United States has a treaty obligation to help the Philippines in case of an attack on its territory or armed forces in the South China Sea, the Philippine foreign minister said on Wednesday, rejecting questioning of a security pact…. Read More ›
Philippines supply ship evades Chinese vessels
A Philippine government ship slipped past a Chinese coast guard vessel Saturday and brought food and fresh troops to a marooned navy ship used as a base by Filipino troops to bolster the country’s territorial claims in the disputed South… Read More ›
Philippines rejects China deal in South China Sea; China denies making any such offer
The Philippines has rejected a Chinese offer to withdraw its ships from the Scarborough Shoal, if Manila did the same and delayed international arbitration on the territorial dispute. China‘s offer was made “informally through back channels”, Roilo Golez, a former… Read More ›
Philippine leader calls for international help against China’s aggressive sea claims
President Benigno S. Aquino III called on Tuesday for nations around the world to do more to support the Philippines in resisting China’s assertive claims to the seas near his country, drawing a comparison to the West’s failure to support… Read More ›
Philippines expects early U.N. ruling on sea dispute with China
The Philippines expects an early ruling from the United Nations’ tribunal on its arbitration case questioning China’s claim on the South China Sea, Manila‘s foreign minister said on Thursday, in the first public announcement of hopes for a swift outcome…. Read More ›
China says Philippines stirring trouble by asking US for help
A Chinese military general told foreign media Thursday that the Philippines plays the character of a “troublemaker” in the South China Sea. “The role of the Philippines in the South China Sea is actually, in my view, a troublemaker,” People’s… Read More ›
China agrees to South China Sea talks amid new row with Manila
China agreed to hold formal talks with Southeast Asian nations on a plan to ease maritime tensions on Sunday as the Philippines accused it of causing “increasing militarisation” of the South China Sea, one of Asia’s naval flashpoints. The rebuke… Read More ›
China warns Philippines of ‘counterstrike’ in South China Sea
China’s state media warned on Saturday that a “counterstrike” against the Philippines was inevitable if it continues to provoke Beijing in the South China Sea, potentially Asia’s biggest military troublespot. The warning comes as ministers from both countries attend an… Read More ›
South China Sea dispute: lucky China, unlucky Philippines
I write this post due to Mr. Jose Mario Dolor De Vega’s furious response to my post China boasts of strategy to ‘recover’ islands occupied by Philippines at China Daily Mail on May 28. First, I should make clear that the… Read More ›
Former US cutter to help Philippine claims in South China Sea
The former U.S. Coast Guard cutter Dallas is en route to Manila as the newest ship in the Philippine Navy, according to Philippine sources. The re-christened BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) underwent a 13-month refit in Charleston, S.C. before it departed… Read More ›
South China Sea tension mounts near Filipino shipwreck
A wrecked navy transport ship perched on a remote coral reef could be the next flashpoint in the South China Sea, where China and five other claimants bitterly dispute territory. The Philippine government is accusing China of encroachment after three… Read More ›
China boasts of strategy to “recover” islands occupied by Philippines
The following is a translation of an interview on Chinese State TV. It does not necessarily represent the views of China Daily Mail, but is provided so readers can form their own views. Recently, well-known military expert Major General Zhang… Read More ›
China and it’s neighbours: A tale of two fishing boats
Is the Chinese government’s uneasy friendship with North Korea costing it the public’s confidence? A curious confluence of recent events involving two fishing vessels suggests that might be the case. The crisis began in the waters of Scarborough Shoal, a… Read More ›
China’s stealth wars of acquisition
In the way China made land grabs across the Himalayas in the 1950s by launching furtive encroachments, it is now waging stealth wars – without firing a single shot – to change the status quo in the South and East… Read More ›
Southeast Asia to reach out to China on sea disputes
Southeast Asian nations stepped up efforts on Thursday to engage China in talks to resolve maritime tensions, agreeing to meet to try to reach common ground on disputed areas of the South China Sea ahead of planned discussions in Beijing… Read More ›
China consolidates sea claims as Asian diplomacy struggles
For decades, fishermen along the northwestern Philippine coast treated the teeming fishing grounds of the Scarborough Shoal as their backyard, less than a day’s boat ride away. Now, they see it as a foreign country. “I lost my livelihood when… Read More ›
China’s glass ceiling
“It’s over for America,” a Chinese academic told me in late 2008, two days after Goldman Sachs turned itself into a commercial bank in order to fend off possible collapse. “From here on, it’s all downhill.” Sitting in Beijing as… Read More ›
China says Philippines’ UN request on seas complicates issue
China said on Wednesday that a request by the Philippines for a U.N. tribunal to intervene in its longstanding South China Sea territorial dispute with China would only complicate the issue, and denounced Manila‘s “illegal occupation” of islands there. Manila… Read More ›
China’s coercive economic diplomacy
Chinese willingness to use economic leverage to settle international disputes in its favour is a worrisome trend. When the 10 member nations of ASEAN failed to reach agreement on the wording of a joint communiqué for the first time in… Read More ›
The ABC of China politics in 2012
It was supposed to be a momentous year – a major leadership change on the centenary of the last emperor’s abdication. But 2012 turned out to be a mess for China. It squabbled with neighbours on a seemingly unceasing series… Read More ›
US and Japan scrap naval drill in bid to ease islands tension with China
SCMP reports: “Japan and the United States have called off a joint naval exercise planned for next month in a bid to avoid irritating China and escalating their ongoing territorial dispute in the East China Sea, Japanese media reported. “Citing… Read More ›
Philippines will respond to China ships
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario on Wednesday said the Philippine government may have to respond to the continued stay of Chinese ships in the waters of the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. Del Rosario, in… Read More ›
China sends ships to disputed Senkaku Islands
Chinese state media said Tuesday that two government surveillance vessels had reached waters near the disputed Senkaku islands, a day after Japan announced it planned to purchase some of the islands from private owners. The state-run Xinhua news agency said… Read More ›
Top diplomat’s China visit enabled by ambassador’s stroke
Singtao Daily reports: The Philippine ambassador to China’s recent stroke provided Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario with the opportunity to make an informal visit to China and meet Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. It was his first visit… Read More ›
Bullyism: The new face of imperialism (China’s invocation of its so-called historical right)
I am writing once again to highlight to the international community and to the family of nations China’s aggressive imperialist design, to point out its continuous and hilarious invocation of its so-called historical right over the islands, shoals and islets… Read More ›
China’s use of economic stick is troubling
Countries must push back against Beijing’s troubling tendency to use China’s ports, natural resources and overall economic strength to force rivals to bring policies in line with its interests. When the 10 member nations of Asean failed to reach agreement… Read More ›
Aquino urged to tackle South China Sea dispute
Philippine President Benigno Aquino will deliver his annual “state of the nation” speech to Congress on Monday, with legislators hoping he will tackle an escalating South China Sea dispute. Senator Francis Escudero, who does not belong to Aquino’s ruling Liberal… Read More ›
China: Sansha capital Yongxing Island under strict military control
Hong Kong Ming Pao’s reporter has recently been on Yongxing Island and found that the island is under strict military control due to the rising tensions in the South China Sea. The reporter says the scenery on the island is… Read More ›
China: War with Philipinnes or Japan?
Japan can be regarded as China’s long-term enemy in quite a few Chinese people’s mindset, though since the 1970s, Sino-Japanese relations have been quite satisfactory until now. Tension between the two countries has intensified in their disputes over the Diaoyu… Read More ›
China, Vietnam: Hardened lines in the South China Sea
Tit-for-tat moves by China and Vietnam represent the latest indication that tensions could break into conflict over contested and potentially resource rich maritime areas in the South China Sea. Hanoi’s National Assembly late last month overwhelmingly passed a law that… Read More ›
Philippines: Chinese boats leave disputed lagoon
China has withdrawn its boats from the lagoon of a tiny South China Sea shoal following an agreement with the Philippines that at least temporarily eases the countries’ territorial dispute, officials in Manila said Monday. The Philippine government pulled out… Read More ›
No end of South China Sea troubles for China
Soon after both the Philippines and China withdrew their boats from the disputed Scarborough Shoal and its surrounding sea area on the excuse of poor weather, Philippine president Benigno Aquino III said on June 20 he would send ships back… Read More ›
Fatality after Philippine boat rammed by Chinese vessel near shoal
The Philippines said yesterday a Chinese vessel accidentally rammed a fishing boat north of a disputed South China Sea shoal, killing one and leaving four others missing. The fishing boat set out from the northern coastal town of Bolinao, in… Read More ›
China declares Vietnam’s claim over islands “illegal and invalid”
China said it summoned Vietnam‘s ambassador Thursday and strongly protested a law adopted by the Vietnamese parliament that places the disputed Spratly and Paracel islands under Hanoi‘s sovereignty. China and Vietnam, as well as other neighbouring nations, are locked in… Read More ›
Aquino calls back boats from the Huangyan Island
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs announced on June 16 that President Aquino had ordered all Philippine ships to withdraw from the Huangyan Island sea area. Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert Ferreros del Rosario said on that day that… Read More ›
Wealthy Philippine Chinese community makes Aquino speak about peace
Radio Television Hong Kong reports, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III says that both the Philippines and China are striving to resolve the South China Sea disputes peacefully through diplomacy. Aquino was speaking when he attended Sino-Philippine friendship activities, sponsored by… Read More ›
Firepower bristles in South China Sea as rivalries harden
In the early years of China’s rise to economic and military prowess, the guiding principle for its government was Deng Xiaoping‘s maxim: “Hide Your Strength, Bide Your Time.” Now, more than three decades after paramount leader Deng launched his reforms,… Read More ›
China plays down US support to Manila in South China Sea dispute
China’s official news agency, Xinhua, says that US President Barack Obama met Filipino President Benigno Aquino at the White House, and the two countries reiterated their commitment to strengthen their bilateral relations. The White House issued a statement after the… Read More ›
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