DFA chief: Chinese envoy's decision to skip PHL in Asian tour a prerogative

 News
May 052013
 
DFA chief: Chinese envoy's decision to skip PHL in Asian tour a prerogative

The Department of Foreign Affairs on Sunday said the decision of China’s new foreign minister not to visit the Philippines in his Southeast Asia tour is a prerogative. In a text message, DFA chief Albert del Rosario said his office has “not given a second thought” to newly-appointed Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s choice of countries in the region to visit. “The plan for these visits is his prerogative… We look forward to meeting at the appropriate time with the new foreign minister and working closely with him,” Del Rosario said. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte meanwhile said the Palace does not want to speculate why the Philippines was not included in the Chinese foreign minister’s itinerary. “It will not be healthy to engage in speculation. We recognize the prerogative of the Chinese foreign minister to set his own agenda for his trips outside his country,” Valte said in a separate interview over state-run dzRB radio. Last week, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced that Wang will be visiting Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam from April 30 to May 5 “at the invitation” of the foreign ministers of these Southeast Asian countries. Chinese news service China Briefing said the four Southeast Asian countries are Wang’s first overseas destinations since his appointment in March. Also, it said the tour marks the first time in over 15 years that a Chinese envoy gave priority to Asian destinations. The news agency likewise said the four countries “were likely picked for being Read More …

Phl bourse sustains rally on strong corporate earnings

 Economy
Apr 302013
 
Phl bourse sustains rally on strong corporate earnings

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) – The local index climbed to the upper band of the 7,000-mark today as investors started buying stocks with promising corporate earnings. The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index gained 0.61 percent, or 42.64 points, to 7,070.99, while the broader all-share index rose by 0.41 percent, or 17.85 points, to 4,409.73. Trading volume reached 4.1 billion shares worth P10.83 billion ($263.35 million) with 91 stocks advancing, 82 declining, and 39 were unchanged. Of the six counters, only the mining and oil sector bucked the trend. “The composite index advanced for the fourth consecutive session, driven by strong corporate earnings,” DBP-Daiwa Securities, Inc. said in its daily stock market comment. 2TradeAsia.com said sessions will continue to “stay light” until new developments in China unfold. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “For now, local equities may track developments abroad, especially if reaffirmed support for monetary stimulus measures is made,” the online brokerage said. The brokerage said financials and interest rate-sensitive sectors might take the lead, as well as second and third tier stocks that have breached oversold levels.   Stocks in the 30-company index closed mixed. Among those picked up were Ayala Land, Inc., heavyweight Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., and SM Investments Corp.

Int’l arbitration panel ready to hear PH case against China

 News
Apr 252013
 
Int’l arbitration panel ready to hear PH case against China

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:26 am | Friday, April 26th, 2013 Judge Shunji Yanai, president of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, has appointed the last three members of the panel of five international arbitrators that would hear the Philippines’ case against China’s claims in the West Philippine Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday, April 25, 2013. PHOTO FROM ITLOS.ORG MANILA, Philippines—The panel of five international arbitrators that would hear the Philippines’ case against China’s claims in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) has been completed, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday. DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said that Judge Shunji Yanai, president of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itlos), had appointed the last three members of the panel. “That means the case is moving and, as expected, we are hoping that this case that we filed in the tribunal will proceed as soon as possible,” said Hernandez in a press briefing. In a letter dated April 24, Yanai informed Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, head of the Philippine legal team pursuing the case, that the panel had been completed. The newly appointed arbitrators are Judge Chris Pinto (Sri Lanka), who will serve as panel president, and Itlos judges Jean-Pierre Cot (France) and Alfred Soons (The Netherlands). In March, Yanai appointed Polish Itlos Judge Stanislaw Pawlak to join his fellow Judge Rudiger Wolfrum (Germany) in the panel. The Philippines nominated Wolfrum to the panel upon filing its Read More …

Aquino: PHL gets ASEAN support on maritime dispute with China

 News
Apr 252013
 
Aquino: PHL gets ASEAN support on maritime dispute with China

President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday expressed confidence that the Philippines got the support of the Association on Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the way it is handling its maritime dispute with China. In his speech upon arrival from the ASEAN summit in Brunei, Aquino said he was able to voice out the Philippines’ call for a legally binding code of conduct that will govern the South China Sea during the annual meeting of Southeast Asian leaders. “Batid ng lahat ng pinuno ng ASEAN: ang maigting nating paninindigan ukol sa West Philippine Sea, ay nakatuon, hindi lamang sa pansariling interes ng kanya-kanyang bansa, kundi para rin sa mas aktibong kalakalan, at malawakang kaunlaran sa bahaging ito ng daigdig,” he said. Aquino added that ASEAN leaders also agreed to fully implement the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. The Philippines refers to maritime areas on the western side of the country as the “West Philippine Sea.” These include the Kalayaan Island Group, which is part of the disputed Spratly Island, and the Panatag Shoal, which was the site of standoff between Philippine and Chinese vessels last year. The ASEAN is a regional organization composed of the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as Taiwan and China, have overlapping territorial claims on parts of the South China Sea. China claims ownership of the whole South China Sea. ‘Two-step approach’ At a separate press briefing Read More …

Southeast Asian leaders urge China to discuss rows

 News
Apr 252013
 
Southeast Asian leaders urge China to discuss rows

Agence France-Presse 4:38 pm | Thursday, April 25th, 2013 Leaders of the Association of South-East Asian Nations pose for a group photo section during the 22nd ASEAN Summit in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, Thursday, April 25, 2013. They are, from left, Philippines President Benigno Aquino III, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Myanmar’s President Thein Sein, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Laotian Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong and Malaysia’s Senate President Abu Zahar Ujang. AP BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN—Southeast Asian leaders on Thursday called for urgent talks with China to ensure that increasingly tense territorial disputes over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) did not escalate into violence. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) wrapped up a two-day summit in Brunei with a chairman’s statement in which they emphasized the importance of “peace, stability and maritime security in the region”. Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the host of the talks, told reporters after the summit that the leaders wanted to “urgently work on a code of conduct” with China aimed at defusing tensions in the strategically vital body of water. The other key focus at the summit was pushing forward plans to create a single market for Southeast Asia and its 600 million people — known as the Asean Economic Community — by 2015. However the flashpoint South China Sea issue dominated the meeting, amid growing concern among some Southeast Read More …

ITLOS completes five-man tribunal that will hear PHL case vs. China

 News
Apr 252013
 
ITLOS completes five-man tribunal that will hear PHL case vs. China

The Philippines’ case against China took another step forward after a United Nations arbitration body named the last three judges in the five-man tribunal that will hear Manila’s complaint over what it calls Beijing’s “excessive” claim to the South China Sea. “We are hoping that this case that we filed with the tribunal will proceed as soon as possible,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez told a press briefing Thursday. International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) President Shunji Yanai on April 24 transmitted a letter to Philippine Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, head of the Philippine legal team on the arbitration case, informing Manila of the appointment of Mr. Jean-Pierre Cot (France), Mr. Chris Pinto (Sri Lanka), and Mr. Alfred Soons (The Netherlands.) Yanai earlier appointed Mr. Stanislaw Pawlak (Poland) as the second member of the tribunal who will represent China in the proceedings. The Philippines, on the other hand, nominated Mr. Rudiger Wolfrum (Germany) to the tribunal. Illegal Manila took a bold step when it initiated an arbitration process under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on January 21 to try to declare as “illegal” China’s nine-dash claim, which covers nearly the entire resource-rich waters, where some parts are called West Philippine Sea by the Philippines. China has resisted the Philippines’ move to let a U.N. body intervene in the disputes, saying the case was legally infirm and carried unacceptable allegations. China, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia have overlapping claims on the islands, Read More …

ASEAN leaders talk China, trade at Brunei summmit

 News
Apr 242013
 
ASEAN leaders talk China, trade at Brunei summmit

PNoy off to Brunei for 22nd ASEAN Summit. President Benigno Aquino III gives a last-minute talk to members of his Cabinet during send-off at the NAIA Terminal II in Pasay City on Wednesday. Aquino will be attending the 22nd ASEAN Summit in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei on April 25. At left is Vice President Jejomar Binay. Benhur Arcayan BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Southeast Asian leaders met in Brunei on Wednesday for talks aimed at easing tensions over the South China Sea and building momentum towards groundbreaking economic partnerships. The annual summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) began in the capital of the oil-rich sultanate with a dinner in which the leaders were looking to rebuild unity after unprecedented infighting last year. The split was over how much pressure the group should try to apply to China over competing territorial claims to the resource-rich South China Sea. The Philippines and Vietnam, as well as China and Taiwan, claim parts of the sea, which is also home to some of the world’s most important shipping lanes as well as rich fishing grounds. But a push by the Philippines and Vietnam for ASEAN to send a united message to an increasingly assertive China crumbled amid resistance from Cambodia, a close Chinese ally that held the rotating chair of the bloc in 2012. Senior ASEAN figures emphasised ahead of the two-day summit that the group, which for more than four decades has operated by consensus, must work hard to find Read More …

South China Sea: A decades-long source of tension

 News
Apr 242013
 
South China Sea: A decades-long source of tension

Agence France-Presse 6:17 pm | Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN — Competing claims to the South China Sea have for decades been a source of tension in the region. China’s increasing assertiveness in staking its claim in recent years has caused concern for neighboring countries, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam. The South China Sea issue will be a top priority for Association of Southeast Asian (Asean) leaders during their two-day summit in Brunei beginning on Wednesday. Below are key facts on the sea and the competing claims: Geography The South China Sea covers more than 3 million square kilometers (1.16 million square miles) on the western edge of the Pacific, with China and Taiwan to the north, the Philippines to the east, Borneo island to the south, and Vietnam to the west. It contains hundreds of small islands, islets and rocks, most of which are uninhabited. The Paracel and Spratly chains contain the biggest islands. Significance The sea is the main maritime link between the Pacific and Indian oceans, giving it enormous trade and military value. Its shipping lanes connect East Asia with Europe and the Middle East. Major unexploited oil and gas deposits are believed to lie under the seabed. The sea is home to some of world’s biggest coral reefs and, with marine life being depleted close to coasts, it is important as a source of fish to feed growing populations. Claimants China and Taiwan both claim nearly all of the sea, while Vietnam, the Philippines, Read More …

Southeast Asian leaders to talk China, trade

 News
Apr 242013
 
Southeast Asian leaders to talk China, trade

Agence France-Presse 5:25 pm | Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 From left to right, Myanmar’s President Thein Sein, Philippines’ President Benigno Aquino III, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, pose for a photo during the 21st Asean Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012. AP PHOTO/VINCENT THIAN BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN—Southeast Asian leaders will meet in Brunei on Wednesday hoping to heal wounds from infighting over relations with China, while building momentum towards groundbreaking economic partnerships. The annual summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comes after the bloc suffered deep splits last year linked to territorial disputes with China over the resource-rich South China Sea. Asean members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, as well as China and Taiwan, claim parts of the sea, which is also home to some of the world’s most important shipping lanes as well as rich fishing grounds. But a push by the Philippines and Vietnam for Asean to send a united message to an increasingly aggressive China crumbled amid resistance from Cambodia, a close Chinese ally that held the rotating chair of the bloc in 2012. Senior Asean figures emphasized ahead of the two-day summit in Brunei’s capital that the group, which for more than four decades has operated by consensus, must work hard to find common ground on the South China Sea issue. Asean leaders will make a united call in an end-of-summit Read More …

In Panatag, PHL fishermen engage Chinese authorities in cat-and-mouse game

 News
Apr 182013
 
In Panatag, PHL fishermen engage Chinese authorities in cat-and-mouse game

As the government awaits developments in its case against China in connection with Beijing’s alleged excessive claim over the South China Sea, a fishing town in the province of Zambales has been feeling the brunt of the territorial dispute. According to Mayor Desiree Edora of Masinloc town, the local fishermen’s livelihoods have been “paralyzed” as a result of the continued presence of Chinese ships at the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, a disputed area. “Actually naga-attempt silang pumunta kaya lang itinataboy sila ng mga Chinese,” Edora said in a recent interview. “Marami na nakapaikot na mga malalaking barko. So itong mga fisherman na ito, ano naman ang kakayahan nila para lumapit nga e nakaharap sa kanila, baril. So ang ginawa nila, umalis na lang sila.” Mario Forones, a local fisherman, said ever since the standoff at the Panatag Shoal a year ago, he and his companions have to do their fishing in small boats to avoid detection by Chinese vessels. “Parang nakaw-nakaw na lang sir ang pagpupunta dun. ‘Yung bangka kong malaki lalayo, tapos yung maliliit na bangka na ganyan, [na] hindi gaanong pansinin, yan ang nangingisda doon,” he said. Edora said they have received complaints that local fishermen were being driven away by Chinese ships stationed at the Panatag Shoal’s lagoon entrance — an allegation that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) denied as early as last year. In May last year, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) declared a fishing ban around Panatag Shoal, located about 124 nautical Read More …

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