The escalating territorial dispute in the South China Sea is as much an ecological crisis as it is a geopolitical one. Dredging, land reclamation and the construction of artificial islands could be swamping centuries old reefs in sediment, endangering ecosystems that play a key role in maintaining fish stocks throughout the region. According to leading […]
MANILA/SINGAPORE – On a clear night, the Filipinos who live on Pagasa Island — a speck in the vast South China Sea — can see the floodlights from giant Chinese cranes working around the clock, dredging sand to build up a nearby reef. Life on the atoll with its clutch of buildings was for decades […]
AFTER months of political tensions and maritime squabbles, China said Wednesday that it has finally completed its land reclamation activities in some areas of the resource-rich West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). During the regular press briefing at the Chinese Foreign Ministry, its spokesman Hua Chunying revealed that “China’s construction on some stationed islands and […]
(Updated 6:03 p.m.) BEIJING – China on Monday accused the Philippines of spreading misinformation and “creating the illusion of the victim” in their dispute over the South China Sea after Manila aired a three-part documentary defending its position. The first part of the documentary series titled “Karapatan sa Dagat,” or maritime rights, was released as […]
China is reportedly proceeding with the construction of artificial islands on at least two reefs, which are claimed by the Philippines, despite Beijing promising to end some work soon. Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon of Kalayaan Islands, which falls under Philippine’s control, said that he saw Chinese land reclamation activity going on in ‘full swing,’ with many […]
The phrase ‘game changer’ is often overused in international affairs. However, China’s terraforming in the Spratlys—transforming submerged or semi-submerged features and rocks into artificial islands—may well prove to be a genuine game changer in the long-running and increasingly contentious dispute. Since mid-2013, China has been undertaking large-scale reclamation work on seven features under its control […]
HONG KONG – Concern is mounting among some scientists that China’s reclamation work in the disputed Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea has done severe harm to one of the most important coral reef systems in Southeast Asia. China’s use of dredged sand and coral to build artificial islands on seven reefs had also […]
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Concern is mounting among some scientists that China’s reclamation work in the disputed Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea has done severe harm to one of the most important coral reef systems in Southeast Asia. China’s use of dredged sand and coral to build artificial islands on seven reefs had […]
MANILA — Maritime security experts attending a symposium hosted by the Institute for International Policy Studies (IIPS) agreed Monday that freedom of navigation and overflight in the East and South China seas should be assured. The symposium, titled “Towards Common Actions on Maritime Commons — Safeguarding Maritime Security in Asia through Regional Cooperation,” was cohosted […]
SUPREME Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Monday said the Philippine government should ask the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration to issue a provision measure ordering China to stop its reclamation and construction activities in the disputed South China Sea. Carpio in a forum bewailed China’s continuing reclamation and construction activities, saying it was […]