Tag Archives: Pagasa

New China facility seen to put Pag-asa Island in peril

MANILA, Philippines – China is building a combat-capable air facility on Zamora (Subi) Reef in South China Sea in a development seen to jeopardize the Philippines’s possession of the nearby Pag-asa Island. Satellite photos published Thursday by foreign affairs website The Diplomat showed that China is subgrading for a runway at a width of about […]

AFP sets more surveillance in West Philippine Sea

The military will be conducting more surveillance in the West Philippine Sea following China’s pronouncement that it would be building more structures on the artificial islands in the contested area. Asked if the military was alarmed that China had continued its reclamation efforts in the disputed territory, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Gregorio […]

Palace to Beijing: What exaggeration? Facts speak for themselves

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has been presenting nothing but facts to reveal China’s massive reclamation activities in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), and it is up to the global community to determine its implications on the security of the region, Malacañang stressed yesterday. China’s Foreign Ministry accused the Philippines of working together […]

Local fishermen alarmed over dynamite fishing off Pagasa Island

MANILA, Philippines – Illegal fishing activities of the Chinese and Vietnamese in the West Philippine Sea have caused alarm with Filipino fishermen residing in the area. According to a report, the foreigners have been seen fishing near Pagasa Island which lies in the disputed waters. The Filipino fishermen would chase or warn illegal fishers away but […]

China demands US warships keep away from disputed South China Sea islands

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said last night that the US needs to clarify its stance on proposed new patrols around the islands being used to establish a claim on key strategic oil and fish stocks. China urged “the relevant country” to “refrain from taking risky and provocative actions to maintain the regional peace […]

Taiwan against moves that would undermine peace in South China Sea

Taipei, May 13 (CNA) Taiwan called for relevant countries Wednesday to avoid any action that could undermine peace and stability amid the simmering tension in the South China Sea. The Foreign Ministry made the remark in response to a recent visit by high-ranking officers of the Philippines to one of the islands in the Spratly […]

Philippine military chief visits South China Sea island

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines’ military chief flew to a Filipino-occupied island in the South China Sea on Monday and vowed to defend the territory and help develop tourism and marine resources there amid disputes with China. Related Stories Pentagon weighs sending planes, ships near disputed South China Sea reefs Reuters South China Sea […]

David vs. Goliath in the South China Sea: The Philippines vs. China

In a dramatic display of strategic naiveté, the Philippines decided (early-October) to suspend the repair and upgrade of its age-old airstrip on the Spratly island of Thitu (Pagasa to the Filipinos), among the biggest and most prized land features in the South China Sea, which can generate its own 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The […]

China’s Island Factory

New islands are being made in the disputed South China Sea by the might of the Chinese state. But a group of marooned Filipinos on a rusting wreck is trying to stand in the way. The boat pitches up and down and rolls from side to side in the heavy swell. The noise of the […]

China preparing to seize Pag-asa Island – report

MANILA, Philippines – The Chinese Navy has drawn up a detailed plan to seize this year the Philippines’ Pag-asa Island in a battle that will be restricted in the South China Sea, according to a Chinese news network. A report of business and strategy news platform Qianzhan (Prospects) in Mandarin was translated by English news […]