Carpio pushes ‘truth movement’ on South China Sea MANILA, Philippines — The most senior magistrate of the Supreme Court (SC) has called for a “truth movement” to correct what he described as propaganda in Philippine media pushing for China’s fake historical claims on the disputed South China Sea. As this developed, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday its personnel spotted a Chinese naval vessel outside the vicinity of Panatag Shoal in Zambales, aside from Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ships during monitoring from June 6 to 9. Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio asked Filipino communicators to use their freedom of expression and the power of social media “to expose to the world, and to the Chinese people themselves, the falsity of the historical claim of the Chinese government to the South China Sea,” particularly China’s nine-dash- line claim. “We can invite the peoples of Vietnam, … [Read more...] about Carpio pushes ‘truth movement’ on South China Sea
China on south china sea dispute
China claims naming South China Sea islands with English names
China claims naming South China Sea islands with English names Patricia Lourdes Viray (Philstar.com) - June 4, 2019 - 12:40pm MANILA, Philippines — Distancing itself from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Beijing insisted that artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea have been named a long time ago. Speaking at the 2019 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Chinese Ministry of Defense Security Cooperation Center director Senior Colonel Zhou Bo, talked about the artificial islands in the South China Sea. Collin Koh, maritime security research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, questioned Zhou's pronouncements at the annual security forum. "(I)f they are artificial islands, where did their names come from?" Koh tweeted June 1. British journalist Bill Hayton, associate fellow at the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, said that some of the islands in the South … [Read more...] about China claims naming South China Sea islands with English names
US warns China on behavior toward its Asian neighbors
US warns China on behavior toward its Asian neighbors (Agence France-Presse) - June 1, 2019 - 2:28pm Washington and Beijing have been vying for influence in the region, which hosts potential flashpoints such as the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait. Ties between the two powers are once again taking centre stage at the weekend Singapore conference known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, which gathers defense ministers and top military officials from around the world. While the forum is purely on security, the discussions are also being held against a backdrop of Sino-US trade tensions and high-tech rivalry. "China can and should have a cooperative relationship with the rest of the region ... But behavior that erodes other nations' sovereignty and sows distrust of China's intentions must end," acting US Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan told the forum. "Until it does, we stand against a myopic, narrow, and … [Read more...] about US warns China on behavior toward its Asian neighbors
Duterte to discuss South China Sea with Japan’s Abe
Duterte to discuss South China Sea with Japan's Abe (Philstar.com) - May 23, 2019 - 1:07pm MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are expected to discuss matters of defense and security, such as the South China Sea dispute. Duterte has been invited to the annual Nikkei Conference on the Future of Asia next week. This will be his third visit to Japan since assuming office in 2016. The two leaders will hold a bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the Nikkei forum in Tokyo on May 31. This will be their seventh meeting, the last one was in November 2018 at the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Singapore. "This will be an opportunity for both leaders to take stock of the progress of our strengthened strategic partnership in Japan in broad areas of our cooperation," Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Meynardo Montealegre said in a press briefing. According to Montealegre, Duterte … [Read more...] about Duterte to discuss South China Sea with Japan’s Abe
Palace: Bilateral talks best way to address South China Sea row
Palace: Bilateral talks best way to address South China Sea row MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang believes holding bilateral talks is still the best option to resolve the South China Sea row even if China's aggressive actions in disputed areas persist after the creation of a bilateral mechanism intended to settle the dispute. Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said no other party wants to intervene in the the long-standing dispute. "No other party is trying to resolve it right? Nobody wants to intervene. So perhaps, the two countries should just talk," Panelo said in a press briefing. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China have been working towards a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, a first draft of which is supposed to be completed this year. "In the meantime, ASEAN and China continue to reaffirm the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and … [Read more...] about Palace: Bilateral talks best way to address South China Sea row