By Pam Castro and Jamillah Sta Rosa SOUTH CHINA SEA, Nov 11, 2023 (AFP) – As a Philippine Coast Guard rubber boat carrying journalists sped towards Filipino troops on a grounded navy vessel in the disputed South China Sea, three Chinese speed boats gave chase. The high-seas pursuit near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands on Friday ended when Philippine Navy inflatable speed boats deployed from the crumbling BRP Sierra Madre and blocked the […]
Tag: SOUTHCHINASEA
Philippines accuses China of ‘dangerous’ actions in South China Sea
MANILA, Nov 10, 2023 (AFP) – The Philippines accused the Chinese coast guard Friday of “dangerous harassment” of Filipino boats in the disputed South China Sea, including firing a water cannon. The latest incident near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands comes nearly three weeks after two collisions between Chinese and Philippine vessels during a resupply mission to the same tiny garrison. The countries, which have a long history of maritime disputes in […]
ASEAN leaders urge Myanmar junta to stop attacks on civilians
JAKARTA, Sept 5, 2023 (AFP) – Southeast Asian leaders strongly condemned violence and attacks on civilians in Myanmar, directly blaming the ruling junta, with host Indonesia saying at a summit on Tuesday there had been scant progress on an agreed peace plan. Myanmar has been ravaged by deadly violence since the 2021 military coup deposed Aung San Suu Kyi’s government and prompted a bloody crackdown on dissent. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) — […]
Malaysia rejects new Chinese map over South China Sea claims
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30, 2023 (AFP) – Kuala Lumpur rejected Wednesday a new Chinese map that claims waters off Malaysia’s coast in the South China Sea, in the latest war of words between the Asian allies over Beijing’s assertiveness in the waterway. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea — through which trillions of dollars in trade pass annually — despite an international court ruling that Beijing’s entitlement has no legal basis. […]
Embracing extraordinary times! ASEAN in Focus – Full broadcast – August 23, 2023
Philippines says unaware of deal with China over disputed reef
MANILA, Aug 9, 2023 (AFP) – President Ferdinand Marcos said Wednesday he was “not aware” of any agreement with China to remove a Philippine Navy vessel grounded on a reef in the disputed South China Sea. Marcos’ remarks were in response to Beijing’s insistence in recent days that Manila had “repeatedly” promised to tow away the crumbling BRP Sierra Madre from Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands. The BRP Sierra Madre, which the Philippines […]
China demands Philippines remove grounded ship from disputed waters
BEIJING, Aug 8, 2023 (AFP) – China Tuesday renewed calls for the Philippines to remove an ageing ship from a reef which Manila uses to press its stake in the Spratly Islands in defiance of Beijing’s claim to nearly the entire South China Sea. The move comes after the Philippines at the weekend accused the China Coast Guard of firing water cannon against boats on a resupply mission to its garrison stationed on the grounded […]
China says sea clash with Philippines vessels ‘professional and restrained’
BEIJING, Aug 7, 2023 (AFP) – China said on Monday that a maritime clash in which it fired water cannon at Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea was “professional and restrained”. A foreign ministry spokesperson said a Chinese coast guard ship “lawfully stopped” two Philippine vessels, adding: “This professional and restrained on-site operation is beyond reproach.” The incident happened on Saturday as the Philippine Coast Guard escorted charter boats carrying food, water, fuel […]
Philippines accuses China Coast Guard of firing water cannon at its boats
MANILA, Aug 6, 2023 (AFP) – The Philippines condemned the China Coast Guard Sunday for allegedly firing water cannon at its vessels in the disputed South China Sea, describing the actions as “illegal” and “dangerous”. The latest incident happened Saturday as the Philippine Coast Guard escorted boats carrying food, water, fuel and other supplies for Filipino military personnel stationed at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands. In a statement, the US State Department […]
US demands Beijing stop ‘provocative and unsafe’ acts in South China Sea
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2023 (AFP) – The United States called on China Saturday to stop “provocative and unsafe conduct” in the disputed South China Sea after a recent near-collision with a Philippines coast guard boat there, ramping up rhetoric ahead of a visit by the Filipino president to the White House. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, in a statement two days before President Joe Biden is to host his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said […]
China, Vietnam pledge to ‘manage’ South China Sea dispute
Beijing, China | AFP | China and Vietnam agreed on Tuesday to “properly manage” territorial disputes in the South China Sea, rounding off a leaders’ meeting in Beijing as part of a diplomatic blitz by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The socialist neighbours both maintain sweeping claims to sovereignty in much of the contested waterway, parts of which are also claimed by Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Trillions of dollars in ship-borne trade passes through […]





