Beijing and Manila struck a rare conciliatory tone, downplaying their simmering maritime tensions in the South China Sea during a farewell meeting on Thursday between President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and outgoing Chinese envoy Huang Xilian. The South China Sea issues “are not the sum total” of relations between the two neighbours, the Philippine leader told…
China could build an artificial island at the fiercely contested Scarborough Shoal to shore up control of the surrounding waters if its newly established nature reserve fails to stem challenges by the Philippines, a prominent Chinese scholar on the dispute has said. But a final decision would boil down to control, cost and confrontation, according…
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Thousands of people were evacuated from northern Philippine villages and schools and offices were closed Monday in the archipelago and neighboring Taiwan as one of the strongest typhoons this year threatened to cause flooding and landslides on its way to southeastern China. Super Typhoon Ragasa had sustained winds of 215 kilometers…
Manila has spent billions on modernising its armed forces, but a new report warns the Philippines still leans too heavily on American protection – a gamble fraught with risk as US President Donald Trump repeatedly questions the value of old alliances. The Southeast Asian nation’s ability to counter China’s growing assertiveness remains in doubt, according…
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Filipino priest, who publicly protested against then-President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody crackdown against illegal drugs despite death threats and helped provide proper funerals to slain suspects, is among the winners of this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Awards — Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize. The other winners announced on Sunday were a…
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has cancelled 22 flights in the next two days as a result of inclement weather on Thursday, and warned passengers to confirm bookings before heading to the airport. The airline said that 13 flights were cancelled on Friday and another nine on Saturday after black and red rainstorm…
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has cancelled 22 flights in the next two days as a result of inclement weather on Thursday, and warned passengers to confirm bookings before heading to the airport. The airline said that 13 flights were cancelled on Friday and another nine on Saturday after black and red rainstorm…
A Chinese fighter jet allegedly flew close to a Philippine coastguard aircraft near the disputed Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday morning, while US and PLA naval vessels operated close by amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea. According to the Philippine state-run broadcaster People’s Television Network (PTV), a Cessna Caravan operated by the coastguard was…
A US destroyer has entered disputed waters in the South China Sea, less than two days after an apparent collision involving a Chinese coastguard vessel and a PLA Navy ship while the former was pursuing a Philippine coastguard vessel in the area. The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command said on Wednesday that the USS…
A Chinese state media broadcast, claiming to show its coastguard towing a Philippine vessel in the South China Sea, has triggered a fresh diplomatic rift between Beijing and Manila, with Philippine authorities dismissing the footage as “fake news” and accusing China of recycling video from past confrontations to manipulate public opinion. The controversy has renewed…