Monthly Archives: April 2013

South China Sea and economic development at the center of the Asean summit

MANILA — Malacañang is hopeful that a Code of Conduct in the West Philippine Sea could be crafted during the 22nd Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Brunei Darussalam. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that President Benigno Aquino III will depart for Brunei on Wednesday for the two-day meeting and […]

South China Sea and economic development at the center of the Asean summit

Tomorrow the 22nd summit of the countries of Southeast Asia begins in Brunei. After the failure of the previous meeting in Phnom Penh, search is on for a common approach to resolve tensions with Beijing. The nations ask for a “continued commitment” and a binding “code of conduct”. North Korea’s nuclear issues: a call for […]

PHL envoy to China formally assumes post, seeks warmer ties under new Beijing leadership

Philippines’ top diplomat to Beijing, Erlinda Basilio, called on Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday and presented her credentials as ambassador to China. During her conversation with Xi, Basilio, in a bid to normalize ties with Beijing that was marred by a bitter territorial conflict over the South China Sea territories, conveyed President Benigno Aquino […]

EU Parliament backs PHL arbitration initiative vs China GMA News

MANILA – The European Parliament has expressed its full support of the Philippine government’s decision to bring its territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea before a United Nations arbitration tribunal and called on Beijing to adhere to international law. A resolution adopted March 14 by the European Union’s parliament approved a report […]

South China Sea disputes, NKorean threats expected to dominate Southeast Asia summit in Brunei

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei –  Worried that long-seething rifts could escalate over the South China Sea, Southeast Asian leaders are expected this week to press China to agree to start negotiations on a new pact aimed at thwarting a major clash in one of the world’s busiest waterways.   Concern over North Korea’s latest threats […]

Presidential Message — South Pacific Fisheries Convention

TO THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES: I transmit herewith the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fishery Resources in the South Pacific Ocean (the “Convention”), done at Auckland, New Zealand, November 14, 2009, with a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification. I also transmit, for […]

Disputed sea takes center stage in ASEAN summit again

AFP PHOTO/Jewel SamadThe territorial disputes over resource-rich South China Sea (also West Philippine Sea) will hog the limelight again in the 2-day summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Brunei starting April 24…. Read more: http://www.rappler.com/thewrap/april-23-2013-edition/disputed-sea-takes-center-stage-in-asean-summit-again

PNoy NAMED AMONG WORLD’S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

MANILA, APRIL 22, 2013 (YAHOO ASIA) By Kim Arveen Patria | Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom President Benigno Aquino III joined this year’s 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time Magazine, a recognition which Malacanang said shows the Philippines’ improved standing in the eyes of the world. This is Aquino’s first time on the so-called […]

Time ‘ripe’ for Asean, China code of conduct — Phl

MANILA, Philippines – The time is “ripe” for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China to have a legally binding code of conduct to prevent occupation of disputed and non-disputed areas in West Philippine Sea and Panatag Shoal. In a press briefing at Malacañang, Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said “China has said […]

Asian powers urged to resolve territorial disputes

The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has called on Asian countries to resolve territorial disputes in order to ensure peace in the region. Tensions between Japan and China escalated last year, after Tokyo bought a chain of islands in a disputed part of the East China Sea. Separately, overlapping claims to the South China […]