Tag: Philippines

To counter China’s coastguard law, Philippines will deploy more naval assets in South China Sea
11Feb By Grace TsoiNo Comments
China, World

To counter China’s coastguard law, Philippines will deploy more naval assets in South China Sea

To effectively counter China’s new law giving powers to its coastguard to fire on foreign vessels and demolish structures built in disputed waters, the Philippines’ military chief Cirilito Sobejana has said that it will increase its naval presence in the South China Sea to protect its fisherman.“We will increase our visibility through the deployment of more naval assets, but I just want to make clear our navy presence there is not (to) wage war against China but to secure our own people,” said Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana.“That pronouncement by China that their coastguard can open fire at people intruding into their territory is very alarming,” Sobejana added.The Philippines has protested against the new law, which country’s officials said would heighten risks of a miscalculation.C
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Covid-19: China’s plan to show off its vaccine backfires
26Jan By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China, Singapore

Covid-19: China’s plan to show off its vaccine backfires

China wanted to showcase its scientific prowess and deliver a geopolitical win with its coronavirus vaccine. However, that plan is facing severe backlash in some places.Officials in Brazil and Turkey have complained that Chinese companies have been slow to ship the doses and ingredients.A few reports also suggest that China’s vaccines, while considered effective, cannot stop the virus as well as those developed by Pfizer and Moderna, the American drugmakers.In the Philippines, some lawmakers have criticized the government’s decision to buy a vaccine made by a Chinese company, Sinovac.Officials in Malaysia and Singapore, which ordered doses from Sinovac, have had to reassure their citizens that they would approve a vaccine only if it had been proved safe and effective.“Right now, I would no
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China’s disregard for international water laws lead to worsening of ties with countries in South China Sea
4Aug By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

China’s disregard for international water laws lead to worsening of ties with countries in South China Sea

China’s brazen disregard for international water laws has finally severed its ties with neighboring countries in the South China Sea. The Philippines has publicly called on China to comply with the 2016 arbitral ruling which had ruled that China has no “historic rights over the waters of the South China Sea”.“Compliance in good faith with the award would be consistent with the obligations of the Philippines and China under international law, including UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) to which both parties are signatories,” Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said in a statement.Indonesia has also decided to conduct exercises in the vicinity of the Riau Islands.Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected China’s claims of having “historical rights” in the
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Philippines calls on China to comply with 2016 arbitral ruling over South China Sea
23Jul By Nectar GanNo Comments
Politics

Philippines calls on China to comply with 2016 arbitral ruling over South China Sea

President Rodrigo Duterte’s government in Philippines has called on China to comply with 2016 arbitral ruling which had ruled that China has no ‘historic rights over the waters of South China Sea’.“Compliance in good faith with the award would be consistent with the obligations of the Philippines and China under international law, including UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) to which both parties are signatories,” Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said in a statement.The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands had ruled that China has no ‘historic rights’ over the waters of the South China Sea. It also said that China has interfered with traditional Philippine fishing rights at Scarborough Shoal, even as Beijing claimed historic rights to the water
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Philippines warns China of ‘severest response’ over drills in South China Sea
14Jul By Nectar GanNo Comments
Politics

Philippines warns China of ‘severest response’ over drills in South China Sea

Philippines has warned of “the severest response” if ongoing Chinese military exercises in the disputed South China Sea spill over into Philippine territory.Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said, “China’s People’s Liberation Army has been staging exercises off the Paracel Islands since July 1 and Chinese maritime officials have prohibited all vessels from navigating within the area of the maneuvers.”After checking the coordinates of the Chinese-declared no-entry zone where the maneuvers were being staged, Locsin said the waters off the Paracels, which are also claimed by Vietnam, “do not impinge on Philippine territory” but it was still a concern.“Should the exercises spill over to Philippine territory, then China is forewarned that it will be met with the severest response, diplomatic
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South-east Asian nations warn of ‘alarming’ South China Sea incidents amid COVID-19 pandemic
26Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

South-east Asian nations warn of ‘alarming’ South China Sea incidents amid COVID-19 pandemic

At an ASEAN meeting on Friday, Vietnam and the Philippines warned of growing insecurity in Southeast Asia amid concerns that China was stepping up its activity in the disputed South China Sea during the coronavirus pandemic.Both Hanoi and Manila lodged protests with China in April after Beijing unilaterally declared the creation of new administrative districts on islands in the troubled waterways to which Vietnam and the Philippines also have competing claims."Even as our region struggles to contain Covid-19, alarming incidents in the South China Sea occurred," Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told an online meeting of Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) leaders."We call on parties to refrain from escalating tensions and abide by responsibilities under international law," h...
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[South East Asia] Schools won’t open until coronavirus vaccine is available: Duterte
17Jun By Our NewsroomNo Comments
World

[South East Asia] Schools won’t open until coronavirus vaccine is available: Duterte

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said that he will not allow students to go back to school until a coronavirus vaccine is available, even as some countries resume in-person classes.In a speech aired late on Monday, Duterte said the risk was too great, even if it held students back academically."Unless I am sure they are really safe it's useless to be talking about opening of classes. For me, vaccine first. If the vaccine is already there, then it's okay. If no one graduates, then so be it," he said.Children were due to return to school at the end of August after classes for more than 25 million primary and secondary students were shut down in March as the contagion took off in the Philippines.Though researchers worldwide have launched an unprecedented effort to quickly develop a va...
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[South East Asia] Philippine President wants stuck workers to reach home in a week
17Jun By Our NewsroomNo Comments
World

[South East Asia] Philippine President wants stuck workers to reach home in a week

As thousands of Filipino workers grew frustrated of being stuck in a ship cabin, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took speedy action and gave his government a week to process about 24,000 repatriated Filipino workers stuck for weeks on cruise ships or in coronavirus quarantine, so they can finally go home.Thousands are aboard cruise vessels off Manila Bay or stuck in hotels and crowded health facilities, some growing frustrated having tested negative for the coronavirus and completed the mandated 14-day quarantine.Overseas Filipino Workers, or OFWs, are breadwinners and a key support base of Duterte. Their more than US$30 billion of annual remittances is a key driver of the Philippine economy, sustaining millions of family members."The president said they can use all government resourc...
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