Año: Filipinos' support shows gov't stance on WPS in right direction

THE NATIONAL Security Council (NSC) on Thursday lauded the Filipinos' continued trust in the government's strategic alliances and diplomatic initiatives as part of its efforts to resolve the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue.

Security exec: More allies seen to join PH patrols in WPS

MORE ALLIES are expected to join the Philippines in its patrol activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), an official of the National Security Council (NSC) said Monday.

Cayetano defends PBBM’s ‘silence’ on WPS in his SONA

SEN. ALAN Peter Cayetano on Tuesday defended President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for not mentioning in his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) issues surrounding the West Philippine Sea.

Marcos stands firm vs. China’s harassment in West Philippine Sea

PRESIDENT FERDINAND Marcos Jr said the Philippines will not cede an inch of its territory in the West Philippines Sea largely being claimed by Beijing following a recent harassment by the Chinese Coast Guard vessel at a Filipino patrol delivering supplies to BRP Sierra Madre at the Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) inside Filipino waters.

China harassment continues

BEIJING CONTINUES to harass the Philippines following a recent incident where a Chinese Coast Guard vessel fired green laser light at a Filipino patrol delivering supplies to BRP Sierra Madre at the Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) inside Philippine waters of West Philippine Sea.

Austin in Philippines to discuss larger US military presence

MANILA - Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in the Philippines on Wednesday for talks about deploying U.S. forces and weapons in more Philippine military camps to ramp up deterrence against China’s increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea. 

Philippines protests Chinese aggression off Palawan

THE PHILIPPINES has filed a diplomatic protest against Beijing after a Chinese Coast Guard vessel intruded in Filipino waters and forcefully grabbed a Chinese rocket debris retrieved by the Philippine navy in the West Philippine Sea.

Duterte stands neutral in China-Taiwan tension

DESPITE WIDESPREAD public criticism for his weak response on China’s aggressiveness in the West Philippine Sea, President Rodrigo Duterte now said his administration will remain neutral amid the escalating conflict between Beijing and Taiwan.

ASEAN kontra Tsina?

DAPAT UMANONG himukin ng Depart of Foreign Affairs (DFA) ang ASEAN member states na magkaisa sa posisyon laban sa panghihimasok ng Tsina sa mga pinagtatalunang teritoryo sa karagatan.

U.S. warns China against attack on Philippine forces

THE UNITED States reaffirmed its strong support to Manila against any aggression in the South China Sea, saying, that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments under the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.

OPINION: President Duterte’s policies in the WPS by Antonio T. Carpio

PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON Harry Roque praised President Duterte’s policies in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) as “careful, calibrated, and calculated.” In contrast, Roque assailed proposals from former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario and myself as “illegal, impractical, and irresponsible.”

China occupies Julian Felipe Reef off Palawan

CHINA HAS occupied the Julian Felipe Reef, just 175 nautical miles west of Palawan’s Bataraza town, and part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. 

Chinese ‘militia’ vessels swarm off Palawan

THE U.S. State Department is standing by the Philippines in its latest run-in with China over disputed sea territory.

China will never give up an inch of territory, defense minister says

CHINA WILL NEVER give up an inch of its territory, whether the self-ruled island of Taiwan it claims as its own, or in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, the country's defense minister said.

 

Beijing has been infuriated by recent U.S. sanctions on its military, one of a growing number of flashpoints in ties with Washington that include a bitter trade war, Taiwan and China's increasingly muscular military posture in the South China Sea.

 

Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe made the remarks at the opening of the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, which China styles as its answer to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in the wealthy city-state of Singapore.

 

China's military ties with the United States are important and sensitive, Wei said, adding that Taiwan was a "core" interest of China's and Beijing opposed displays of strength by "outside forces" in the South China Sea.

 

The world's two largest economies needed to deepen high-level ties so as to navigate tension and rein in the risk of inadvertent conflict, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told his Chinese counterpart last week. Mattis saw firsthand last month how mounting Sino-U.S. friction can undermine military contacts, when Beijing upended plans for him to meet Wei in October.

 

China has been angered by the U.S. sanctions on its military for buying weapons from Russia, and by what Beijing sees as stepped-up U.S. support for democratic Taiwan, which it claims as sacred territory. China has also expressed concern after U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington would withdraw from a landmark Cold War-era treaty that eliminated nuclear missiles from Europe because Russia was violating the pact.

 

China is not a party to that treaty, but Trump has also suggested Beijing's military strength played a role in his decision, which China has described as "completely wrong". Last week, the United States sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait in the second such operation this year. China-Taiwan relations have deteriorated since the island's President Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, swept to power in 2016.

 

Beijing, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, has also viewed U.S. overtures toward the island with alarm, such as a new de facto embassy there and passage of a law to encourage visits by U.S. officials. (Reuters)

Joint China-Philippines oil, gas exploration pushed

THE PHILIPPINES EXPRESSED optimism that a joint exploration deal for oil and gas reserves in the disputed South China Sea or West Philippine Sea – WPS as the Filipino government calls it - will be finally signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit in Manila next month.

“We’re doing all we can to make sure that when President Xi comes here, we can sign the joint exploration na magsimula na tayo na maghanap ng natural gas at langis at sa ganun po magkaroon na tayo ng energy security,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

Xi is expected to visit the Philippines in November as a follow-up to the high-level economic meetings conducted by the two countries’ economic and infrastructure managers in Beijing.

Roque described the joint exploration as the most important agreement that the Philippines and China are hoping to achieve during Xi’s visit, to reduce the country’s dependence on imported fuel products.
“Of course, ito ang pinakaimportanteng agreement dahil nga sa pagtaas ng preso ng langis na nagdadahilan sa pagtaas ng lahat,” he said. “Alam naman po (natin na) lahat tayo naaapektuhan dyan pero hanggang makakuha po tayo ng langis ay talagang wala tayo magawa dahil iniaangkat natin ang langis.”

Roque said initial research and studies show that oil and gas reserves can be found in the disputed WPS particularly in the so-called Service Contract 72 (Recto Bank). “So ito po ang naging malinaw: kinakailangan na po nating isulong ang joint exploration. Isantabi natin ang hidwaan dahil according to the preliminary studies, meron pong laman ang SC 72,” he said, adding, an executive agreement for joint exploration in the WPS is crucial since the supply of Malampaya deep water gas-to-power project is projected to last only until 2029.

“So we’re hoping that by 2027, production there at SC 72 will already start,” he said. China has reportedly expressed willingness to enter into a 60-40 joint exploration deal in favor of the Philippines. Aside from Recto Bank, Service Contract 57 or Calamian is also being considered as areas of possible joint exploration. (Jelly Musico)

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