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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr talks to US Indo-Pacific commander Admiral Samuel Paparo during a courtesy visit, at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila on August 27. Photo: AP

Opinion | Whether Trump or Harris wins, for Manila, 1 thing will stay the same

Given the US’ contest with China, the Philippines’ strategic role and its alliance with Washington will remain critical.

Given the US’ contest with China, the Philippines’ strategic role and its alliance with Washington will remain critical

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South Korea, Philippines share ‘common understanding’ on South China Sea

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Global impact | Bouts of restraint, dialogue few and far between in South China Sea

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South Korea signals its counter-China ambitions with Yoon’s Manila visit

Yoon Suk-yeol’s state visit, the first by a South Korean president since 2011, came as the nations upgraded ties to a strategic partnership.

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South Korean soldiers march through Seoul to mark the country’s 76th Armed Forces Day on October 1. Photo: AFP

Senate showdown: Philippine president’s picks lead polls ahead of 2025 elections

The 2025 race is set to be fiercely contested, with Marcos’ slate of candidates including his sister Imee, who is running as an independent.

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What does China’s coastguard patrol with Russia reveal about its Arctic aims?

Analysts say mission underscores China’s view that non-Arctic nations ‘have the right to engage in civilian operations’ in the area.

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China’s Liaoning carrier puts jets through paces after skirting Japanese atoll

Carrier heads for the Celebes Sea as US and Philippine forces prepare for joint manoeuvres.

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The Liaoning aircraft carrier has been on deployment since late September. Photo: Japanese Ministry of Defence

Is China downplaying ‘restrained’ clash with fishermen near Paracel Islands?

Vietnam says Chinese personnel boarded a local fishing boat on Sunday and beat the crew with iron bars, seriously injuring four of them.

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The Philippines wants a seat at the UN table. Will China block its way?

As the Philippines seeks a UN Security Council seat to address South China Sea tensions, China’s veto power may limit its impact.

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Malaysia expands oil, gas drilling even as China patrols ‘like clockwork’

Constant pressure from Chinese vessels hasn’t deterred Malaysia’s energy exploration, an Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative report says.

An offshore drilling platform off the coast of Malaysia. The report predicted that “Beijing could ratchet up the pressure on Malaysian hydrocarbon production”. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese missile boat chase sparks new South China Sea flashpoint fears

Philippine officials called the missile boats’ presence at Half Moon Shoal illegal, as analysts warned it could be turned into an airbase.

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Half Moon Shoal. The rectangular atoll measures around 5km across at its longest point. Analysts say it could support the construction of an airfield. Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP

PLA stages National Day drill in South China Sea in wake of 5-nation exercise

The drill in the disputed waters follows joint manoeuvres by the Philippines, US, Australia, Japan and New Zealand.

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Opinion | Asean needs a plan to navigate choppy US-China relations

The regional grouping is at a crossroads, under pressure from its own citizens to do better amid high anxiety over major power competition.

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Airlines in Philippines cut flights to China amid sea row, online casinos ban

One of the carriers, Philippine Airlines, says ‘the Chinese market has been slower to recover’ compared with other regions.

A Cebu Pacific Air plane takes off from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. Photo: AFP

China’s envoy in Washington warns US against ‘strategic miscalculation’

Ambassador Xie says the ‘small yard, high fence’ policy of US President Joe Biden’s administration is damaging both countries’ interests.

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Xie Feng, China’s ambassador to the US, addresses attendees at a National Day event at the Chinese embassy in Washington on Monday. Photo: SCMP

Explainer | Who is winning the fight for the South China Sea’s resources?

Claimants are competing for fish, oil and gas amid unresolved maritime boundaries and differing interpretations of law.

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Scarborough Shoal ‘completely surrounded’ by Chinese ships, Filipino fishers say

Eyewitness accounts reveal a relentless patrol of Chinese ships around the South China Sea shoal, leaving Filipino fishermen fearful.

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Perth re-emerging as critical hub in deterring conflict in Indo-Pacific

By 2027, US and British nuclear submarines operating out of HMAS Stirling will make Perth a key player in Indo-Pacific defence strategies.

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A museum in the port of Fremantle, near Perth, located on the site of slipways that enabled the repair of Allied submarines in World War II. Photo: Huw Watkin

Opinion | What’s ailing the China-sceptic Quad? It’s complicated

The grouping’s members are pulling in different directions, and a second term for Donald Trump might upend America’s values-based global strategy.

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PLA launches drills near Scarborough Shoal as US trains with Philippine forces

PLA Southern Theatre cites routine training activities near disputed South China Sea shoal in second such concurrent drill since August.

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China watches as Philippine supply ship visits Second Thomas Shoal

Beijing confirms it monitored – but did not block – Manila’s latest mission to disputed reef near site of last month’s stand-off in Spratlys.

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The BRP Sierra Madre is a dilapidated World War II-era ship that the Philippines deliberately grounded on the Second Thomas Shoal in 1999. Photo: Reuters

4 triggers can spark PLA interceptions in South China Sea: Beijing think tank

South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative releases report on navigation and overflight situations in vast, disputed waterway.

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PLA Navy destroyers take part in combat drills in the South China Sea in June. According to the think tank SCSPI, frictions with foreign forces mainly develop when they approach the Chinese mainland or its territorial waters and airspace. Photo: CCTV

South China Sea tensions, missile test push Japan closer to Philippines

Japanese official urges regional cooperation to deter further conflict, as analysts warn China may use developments to justify military build-up.

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How rising China-US rivalry is making ‘divergence’ within Asean more pronounced

The 10-member regional bloc’s ‘passive neutrality’ stance could fracture if member countries are forced to choose sides, analysts say.

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Philippines refutes China’s arms race claim over Typhon missile system

Philippine Defence Chief Gilberto Teodoro Jnr says China should not interfere with Manila’s plan to boost its ‘credible deterrence’.

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Soldiers attaching a component of the Mid-Range Capability (MRC), or Typhon, at a military exercise in Northern Luzon, the Philippines, in June. Photo: US Army

Japan vessel joins Australia and New Zealand in its first Taiwan Strait transit

A Japanese destroyer sailed through the stretch of water between the island and the Chinese mainland on Wednesday morning.

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The Japanese destroyer Sazanami. Photo: AFP

Opinion | Why the Quad is here to stay, whether China likes it or not

While Beijing initially dismissed the notion of the Quad, it now sees the grouping as a formidable force to reckon with in the coming years.

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As Philippines plots next Sabina Shoal move, is a China conflict ‘inevitable’?

Manila looks to re-establish a ‘strategic presence’ in the contested South China Sea, as Beijing tightens grip on atoll.

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South China Sea
The latest news on South China Sea territorial disputes. The contrasting claims have been an ongoing point of contention among several countries including China, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines.
last updated:
27 August, 2024
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