Chinese warships were continuing to pass through the Sibutu Strait in Mindanao off the coast of Tawi-Tawi with inactive Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana revealed Tuesday, despite raising his objections to the move through Philippine territory with Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua. Earlier in the day, Lorenzana called Chinese actions in the West […]

  Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. on Wednesday said the Philippines has already filed a diplomatic protest over China’s recent “swarming” activity in the disputed waters. Locsin made the confirmation on his Twitter account, where he retweeted a GMA News tweet about the Philippines’ plan to protest the swarming of 113 Chinese […]

President Rodrigo Duterte’s national security adviser reveals that 113 Chinese vessels were spotted near Pag-asa island. The Philippines has “fired off” a diplomatic protest against China, following reports that more than 100 Chinese fishing vessels were spotted in recent days about a Philippine-administered island in the South China Sea. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin made […]

  China’s nine-dash line and related claims are based on British mistakes and its own ignorance and confusion, an expert asserts. The nine-dash line is a relatively new claim based on a line drawn around nonexistent islands on a bad copy of a British-drawn map in 1936, according to Southeast Asia expert Bill Hayton. The […]

  MANILA — The Philippine defense chief criticized China on Tuesday, July 30, for what he called “bullying” actions in the South China Sea and said Beijing’s peaceful assurances contrast with its behavior in the contested waters. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana criticized China’s increasingly assertive actions when asked to comment on the Chinese ambassador’s assurances […]

  PHILIPPINES’ top defence official has accused China of “bullying” in the South China Sea as it continues to occupy islands with Manila’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Beijing’s behaviour in the region goes against any claims of wanting peace. Mr Lorenzana accusation comes after China took control of the Scarborough […]

BANGKOK, July 31 (Reuters) – China’s top diplomat on Wednesday warned outside countries not to amplify disputes in the South China Sea, where recent Chinese manoeuvring in the energy-rich waters has rattled regional states and drawn condemnation from the United States. Chinese Councillor Wang Yi touted progress on an eventual Code of Conduct with the […]

BANGKOK, July 31 (Reuters) – China’s top diplomat on Wednesday warned outside countries not to amplify disputes in the South China Sea, where recent Chinese manoeuvring in the energy-rich waters has rattled regional states and drawn condemnation from the United States. Chinese Councillor Wang Yi touted progress on an eventual Code of Conduct with the […]

  MANILA – Recent incidents involving Chinese ships in Southeast Asian waters are testing regional faith in Beijing’s sincerity about maritime peace, and aiding a renewed US push to build alliances with countries unnerved by China’s assertiveness. Chinese maneuvering in energy-rich stretches of the South China Sea, including a standoff in Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone, […]

MANILA, Philippines — US senators called on the Trump administration to do more in countering China’s aggressive activities in the disputed South China Sea. Sens. Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey), Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) asked US State Secretary Mike Pompeo to prioritize discussions on the South China Sea in the […]