MANILA, Philippines – The European parliament adopted a resolution on March 14 approving a report that included its support for the Philippines’ arbitration initiative, under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in clarifying the country’s maritime entitlements in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), the Department of Foreign […]
BANGKOK — Leaders of Southeast Asia are gathering in Brunei this week for an annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The regional group is trying to move forward with plans for economic integration and repair divisions about disputed territory with China in the South China Sea. ASEAN has set a deadline to […]
The Asia-Pacific’s most dangerous crisis may be going overlooked due to North Korean threats. Despite the Obama administration’s ‘pivot’ to the region, Asian allies worry that the United States will not continue to be a steadfast partner. North Korean bombast has been using up all of the oxygen in the Asia-Pacific, but what may be […]
Manila, Philippines — The Philippines will continue to advocate maritime security and cooperation, push for the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and propose for the early conclusion of a substantive and legally-binding Code of Conduct (COC) when President Benigno S. Aquino III […]
An updated U.N. treaty governing the exploitation of deep-sea bioresources is urgently needed, EU Maritime Affairs Commissioner Maria Damanaki said on April 11 at a U.N.-sponsored conference in Paris, in an attempt to assure a rational and fair harvest of resources from in deep-sea areas. Her call came as private companies and scientific teams are […]
MASINLOC, Philippines (Reuters) – 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 we lost the Scarborough Shoal to the Chinese,” said Mario Forones, […]
Since the Obama administration’s announced “pivot” to Asia, challenges have piled up in the region. With the exception of North Korea’s nuclear brinksmanship, most of the challenges involve growing tension in the South China Sea and East China Sea. The US must devise a policy on these maritime disputes that preserves freedom of navigation and […]
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines will try to revive next month preparations with China for the joint development of rare earth elements (REEs) in the Philippines, according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB). MGB Director Leo Jasareno told reporters that Philippine representatives would fly to Naning, China, on May 8 to discuss Manila’s intention to push […]
MANILA, Philippines — Despite diplomatic differences, the Philippines should quickly send a humanitarian mission to China to help victims of the devastating earthquake that rocked its province over the weekend, Senator Ralph Recto said on Tuesday. “As a neighbor with deep historical and economic ties, the country should send its own humanitarian contingent and find ways […]
TAIPEI – Taiwan’s coastguards said Monday that Taipei had staged a live-fire drill within a hotly-contested island chain in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), in a move that risks stoking regional tensions. More than 2,000 rounds of ammunition … http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/04/22/13/taiwan-stages-live-fire-drill-contested-spratlys