Monthly Archives: September 2014

BAJO DE MASINLOC (SCARBOROUGH SHOAL): LESS-KNOWN FACTS VS. PUBLISHED FICTION

Dr. Jay L. Batongbacal Director, UP Institute for Maritime Affairs & Law of the Sea Lecture delivered for the Cartographic Exhibit Forum September 26, 2014 De La Salle University Introduction Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Thank you for your kind invitation to speak before you today on the occasion of the exhibit entitled “Historical Truths […]

RI to strengthen defense in South China Sea

To increase its military defenses in the South China Sea, the government is preparing to establish an F16 fighter jet squadron in Pekanbaru, Riau Islands, and an Apache helicopter squadron near the South China Sea. Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the government had decided upon the measure to safeguard Asia’s largest gas field exploration at […]

Lawyer Anne Marie Corominas’ old maps help PH case vs China

Palace lawyer Anne Marie Corominas knows exactly where to find every ancient map of the Philippines and Asia that she has collected more than 20 years in her Makati City home. Whether these maps are kept in acid-free binders, picture frames or tube containers usually used by architects to store their works, Corominas, who has […]

China expert expects better ties after 2016

HAIKOU CITY, China—Maybe after 2016. Wu Shicun, president of top state think tank National Institute for South China Sea Studies, is hopeful that relations between China and the Philippines will be better after the Aquino administration. Wu also says China is unlikely to accept the decision—expected “around January to March in 2016”—of the International Tribunal […]

We’re living in the most dangerous region in the world

When a world-renowned geopolitical risk analyst tells you you’re living in the world’s most dangerous place, what do you do? You blanch and blink. Ian Bremmer, 44, a political risk expert who founded the Eurasia Group, was sitting in a nondescript room with several newspaper editors from Singapore Press Holdings intent on picking his brains […]

Beijing to deploy live fish carrier to South China Sea

China is planning to deploy a live fish carrier to Mischief Reef in the South China Sea’s disputed Spratly Islands, according to the Beijing-based China Science Daily. The news comes just months after China removed the Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil platform from waters near the disputed Paracel islands, which had given rise to widespread protests […]

South China Sea conundrum: US and China’s differing views

Last Friday, The Straits Times ran a commentary by Mark Valencia titled “Separating fact from fiction in South China Sea conundrum”. Mr Valencia, a maritime policy specialist, is an adjunct senior scholar at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies in Haikou, China. In the article, he highlighted several oft-repeated statements on the South […]

China looks to next PH govt for improved relations

The Chinese government does not see better relations with the Philippines under President Benigno Aquino III, saying it would rather wait for the next administration in 2016 amid territorial disputes in the region. Wu Shicun Top South China Sea expert Wu Shicun said the mainland will not abide by any decision of the United Nations […]

South China Sea: Still no evidence of historical Chinese claims

Two scholars have responded to my call for supporters of Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea to provide verifiable evidence in support of their arguments. However the response of Dr Li Dexia and Tan Keng Tat (http://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/rsis/co14165) shows just how difficult this task is likely to be. They are unable to prove any […]