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by Martin Abbugao and Karl Malakunas VIENTIANE, Laos (AFP) — Beijing came under pressure at an Asian summit Wednesday over its “illegal” island-building in the South China Sea, after the Philippines produced photos it said showed fresh construction activity at a flashpoint shoal. Any artificial island at Scarborough Shoal could be a game-changer in China’s quest to control the South China Sea and raises the risk of armed confrontation with the United States, security […]
Beijing’s “illegal” island building in the South China Sea moves centre stage at an Asian summit after the Philippines produces evidence it says shows fresh construction activity at a flashpoint shoal. Video courtesy Agence France Press TV
VIENTIANE, Laos (AFP) — The disputed South China Sea was in focus Wednesday at a regional summit in Laos, the first such gathering since an international court said Beijing’s artificial island building program there was “illegal”. China claims most of the sea, even waters approaching neighbouring countries, based on a vaguely defined “nine-dash-line” found on Chinese maps from the 1940s. The Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations dispute this claim. Commentators say the 3 million […]
MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — The United States is giving the Philippines two used military aircraft, the coast guard said Wednesday, to help Manila expand sea patrols in the face of territorial disputes with China. The two Sherpa 30-seater aircraft will be delivered in December, Philippine coast guard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo told AFP. “It will help us in the movements of the Philippine Coast Guard like patrol missions,” Balilo added. The announcement came days after […]
(REUTERS) The Philippines’ defense ministry released pictures on Wednesday showing what it said were Chinese boats near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, just hours before Southeast Asian nations were due to meet China’s premier at a summit in Laos. There was no explanation for the timing of the release, but it came two days after Manila expressed “grave concern” about the increasing number of Chinese vessels around the Scarborough Shoal and […]
VIENTIANE, Laos (AFP) — The Philippines released photos Wednesday to back its claims that China had secretly begun work to cement control over a crucial shoal in the hotly contested South China Sea. The release of the images, which claimed to show Chinese ships preparing to build an artificial island on Scarborough Shoal, came hours ahead of a meeting between Southeast Asian leaders and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Laos. China this week insisted it […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s Hanjin Group said Tuesday it would provide its debt-ridden shipping unit with 100 billion won ($90.4 million) to help ease huge disruptions to global maritime freight. Hanjin, the world’s seventh largest shipping company, is seeking bankruptcy protection at home and in the US after creditors rejected its latest plan to deal with a $5.37 billion debt. Its bankruptcy would be by far the largest in the history of […]
by Andrew BEATTY HANGZHOU, China (AFP) — From the moment Barack Obama touched down in China, his last G20 summit seemed likely to be a tricky one. A kerfuffle over aircraft stairs — or lack of them — and overzealous Chinese apparatchiks drowned out Obama’s efforts to laud his “pivot” to Asia and a deal between Beijing and Washington to jointly ratify a major climate accord. By the end of Obama’s three days in Hangzhou, he […]
HANGZHOU, China (AFP) — This year’s most exclusive and closely-watched diplomatic party –- the G20 summit –- saw presidents and prime ministers from countries representing 85 percent of the global economy gather in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. How did the first China-hosted G20 go? While analysts correctly foresaw little prospect of big economic breakthroughs, there were some notable moments –- and notable flops. As heads of state bid farewell to the scenic city, which […]
HANGZHOU, China (AFP) — Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin met Monday on the margins of the G20 summit in China, the White House said, hours after their diplomats failed to reach a deal on Syria. “The President is taking part in a pull-aside with President Putin of Russia,” said National Security Council spokesman Ned Price. “We expect to provide additional details of their discussion later today.” © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse
HANGZHOU, China (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in China Monday, Tokyo said, their first meeting in more than a year with their nations divided by territorial disputes and recriminations over history. “There are difficult issues between Japan and China, and because of that, it is important that the leaders exchange honest opinions and make improvements,” chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters. The meeting will follow the […]
(REUTERS) North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast on Monday, said South Korea, as the leaders of the Group of 20 major economies held a summit in China, the North’s main diplomatic ally. The missiles were fired from a western region south of the capital Pyongyang, just after noon local time (0300 GMT), South Korea’s Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The missile […]
