Maniolas

Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, sixth from left, and Laotian Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, sixth from right, stand with with Southeast Asian foreign ministers, from left, an unidentified delegate from Malaysia, Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, Vivian Balakrishnan of Singapore, Don Pramudwinai of Thailand, Pham Binh Minh of Vietnam, Thongloun Sisoulith, Saleumxay Kommasith, Perfecto Yasay Jr. of the Philippines, Brunei’s Trade Minister Jock Seng Pehin Lim, Sakhonn Prak of Cambodia, Retno Marsudi of Indonesia and ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh, as they pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Sunday, July 24, 2016. AP VIENTIANE, Laos — China scored a diplomatic victory Monday, avoiding criticism by Southeast Asia’s main grouping over its territorial expansion in the South China Sea even though some of the bloc’s members are victims of Beijing’s actions. After hectic negotiations, the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations issued a watered-down rebuke that amounted to less than a slap on the wrist, and exposed the deep divisions in a regional bloc that prides itself on unity. In a joint communique released after their talks, the foreign ministers of ASEAN said only that they “remain seriously concerned over recent and ongoing developments” in the South China Sea. The statement did not mention China by name in referring to the developments. READ: China divide and rule splits Asean Most significantly, it failed to mention a recent ruling Read More …

Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, sixth from left, and Laotian Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, sixth from right, stand with with Southeast Asian foreign ministers, from left, an unidentified delegate from Malaysia, Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, Vivian Balakrishnan of Singapore, Don Pramudwinai of Thailand, Pham Binh Minh of Vietnam, Thongloun Sisoulith, Saleumxay Kommasith, Perfecto Yasay Jr. of the Philippines, Brunei’s Trade Minister Jock Seng Pehin Lim, Sakhonn Prak of Cambodia, Retno Marsudi of Indonesia and Asean Secretary General Le Luong Minh, as they pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the 49th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Sunday, July 24, 2016. AP VIENTIANE—The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with China’s territorial expansion in the South China Sea, intensifying a diplomatic stalemate that officials said they hoped to resolve in further closed-door parleys on Sunday. The foreign ministers of the 10-member Asean deliberated for about three hours, continuing the unfruitful discussions their senior officials had on Saturday, but with no result. “They haven’t completed their discussion,” said Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Sek Wannamethee. “They are now having a working luncheon followed by an Asean retreat, so the issue will be discussed during the retreat.” Like all other Asean meetings, the foreign ministers’ conclave at the Laotian capital Vientiane also traditionally ends with a joint statement. But the sticking point is whether to include a reference to the South China Sea. Consensus Asean’s cardinal principle is Read More …

President Rodrigo Duterte and National Security Adviser Hermoges Esperon Jr. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/EDWIN BACASMAS) DAVAO CITY – The National Security Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday amid pressing issues confronting the country. Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza told reporters here late Saturday that the meeting was being arranged by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and that “all important issues confronting the nation will all be discussed.” Dureza said “all living former presidents, heads of the different congressional levels, key officials of Malacañang’s security council and other leaders” have been invited to attend the meeting. It was not clear though if former President Benigno Aquino III will be attending the NSC meeting, which was set a day after Mr. Duterte’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA). The NSC meeting will be held on the same day that President Duterte will meet US Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry will be coming in from Vientiane, where he was scheduled to attend several meetings of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), during which, he would discuss the territorial disputes between some Asean members and China. During the NSC meeting, the territorial row between the country and China over the West Philippine Sea is expected to be discussed. “President Duterte will listen to the guidance, inputs, suggestions or recommendation of former presidents and other leaders of the government,” Dureza said. Dureza said the Duterte administration would be crafting a set of guidelines that former President Read More …

In this July 14, 2016 file photo, a woman walks past a billboard featuring Pagasa, a Philippine island in the South China Sea, on display with Chinese words that read: “South China Sea, our beautiful motherland, we won’t let go an inch” in Weifang in east China’s Shandong province. An international arbitration panel’s decision on the contested waters of the South China Sea so far is fueling regional tensions rather than tamping them down. In the ensuing 11 days, China has responded to the sweeping victory for the Philippines by flexing its military might. The Philippines faces pressure both at home and abroad not to cede an inch to China after the July 12 decision by a tribunal at The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. AP VIENTIANE, Laos — Southeast Asia’s main grouping has opened a meeting of their foreign ministers, deeply divided on how to deal with China’s territorial expansion in the South China Sea. Laos is hosting the gathering of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which traditionally ends with a joint statement. But the sticking point is whether to include a reference to the South China Sea. ASEAN’s cardinal principle is decisions by consensus, which means any country can veto a proposal. This time again, it appears to be Cambodia, China’s close ally. In welcoming remarks, Laotian Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith made no mention of the dispute. In 2012, Cambodia also blocked a mention of the dispute, which ended with the ministers failing to issue a statement for Read More …

People walk in front of a reproduction of the Eiffel tower at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Le Bourget, outside Paris, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015. AP FILE PHOTO As the United Nations announced plans to fast-track ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change, President Duterte said he would not honor the country’s “crazy” commitment to severely cut greenhouse-gas emission, as it would limit industrial growth. Poor countries such as the Philippines should be allowed to pursue industrialization to improve the lives of their people, Duterte said in a series of speeches during a visit to Mindanao on Friday. “If you will not allow us to reach parity, [while industrialized countries] are already there and we are still here, then I’m saying that’s crazy. I will not agree to that,” Duterte said, adding that he “plans to put up industrial zones everywhere,” with China as an “easy market” for such a move. Congress, he said, is already reviewing the treaty. The international deal aimed at curbing emissions was signed in Paris in December last year, but only 19 countries, including France and island-states threatened by rising sea levels, have so far ratified the agreement. It cannot become effective until 55 countries accounting for 55 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions have fully approved it. Vulnerable “There is no treaty to honor. We have not signed the treaty,” Duterte said, according to transcripts of his comments released by Malacañang yesterday. The reversal in the country’s position on the treaty drew Read More …