Rappler's latest stories on maritime disputes
[ANALYSIS] Will Vietnam take China to court?
Hanoi looks closely at Manila’s arbitration case

Weapons radar row flares up between South Korea and Japan
Japan claims a South Korean warship aimed its weapons targeting system towards their plane – an allegation South Korea denies

Roilo Golez: Defender of the West Philippine Sea
The former national security adviser had consistently argued that the law is on the Philippines' side in the maritime dispute

Duterte falsely claims Hague ruling issued during Aquino presidency
'Aquino filed an arbitration case, we won, he was still there. Bakit hindi niya ginawa kung 'yan ang gusto ng mga yellow?' says President Rodrigo Duterte

Duterte: 'I need China'
Before flying off to China for the 3rd time, the Philippine leader says he has no plans of bringing up reclamation and construction activities by Beijing in the West Philippine Sea

Beijing, Hanoi promise to keep peace in South China Sea
In a meeting in Hanoi, foreign ministers from China and Vietnam vow to address disputes peacefully

PH, China agree on 'prudent' cooperation on joint sea exploration
The countries will 'in a prudent and steady way advance cooperation on offshore oil and gas exploration,' says Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi

CONTEXT: China never said West Philippine Sea is 'disputed'
'China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters,' says Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying

Cayetano maintains it's the 'disputed' West Philippine Sea
'What are we going to do? Will we pretend it's not disputed?' says Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, as he hits 'so-called experts' like Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio

[WATCH] Rappler Talk: Analyst Aaron Jed Rabena on Philippines-China relations
Rappler editor-at-large Marites Vitug speaks to Aaron Jed Rabena on how Chinese President Xi Jinping's move toward lifetime rule might affect Philippines-China relations and their maritime dispute

Stop calling it the 'disputed' West Philippine Sea – Carpio
A Hague tribunal 'has already ruled with finality,' says Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio. 'There's no appeal. We are the owners of the resources there.'

#ThewRap: Things you need to know, February 20, 2018
Hi! Here are the stories you shouldn't miss this Tuesday

READ: Text of Hague court ruling affirming PH rights over Mischief Reef
'Mischief Reef... fall within areas where only the Philippines possesses possible entitlements to maritime zones under the Convention.... Accordingly, the Philippines – and not China – possesses sovereign rights with respect to resources in these areas,' reads the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in July 2016

[OPINION] Letting China into Benham Rise: History lessons for Duterte and Cayetano
With 20 years of experience dealing with China behind us, the Philippines should not let its guard down

Photos show China's massive construction, runway on PH reef
China ignores a ruling of the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration that declared Mischief Reef a part of the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone

China says U.S. warship near Panatag violated 'sovereignty'
China shoos away a US warship sailing near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, a rocky sandbar off the coast of Zambales province in the Philippines

China island expansion moves ahead in South China Sea
China's new super-dredger, called a 'magical island building machine,' is expected to take China's expansion in the disputed sea a step further

Cayetano downplays Hague ruling, says citing UNCLOS enough
'Ano ba ang arbitral award? Hindi ba UNCLOS 'yun, 1982? O, eh lahat naman ng statement may UNCLOS 1982 eh,' says Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano

#ThewRap: Things you need to know, November 17, 2017
Hello! Here are the stories you shouldn't miss this Friday.

PH thanks Trump for offer to mediate in sea row
(UPDATED) 'It's a very kind, generous offer, because he is a good mediator. He is the master of the art of the deal,' Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano says

Trump offers to mediate in South China Sea row
(UPDATED) Trump's surprise proposal to insert himself into the decades-long row risks a backlash from China

Duterte says Xi downplayed sea militarization in meeting
The Chinese leader also supposedly assures President Rodrigo Duterte that Beijing respects other countries' rights to free passage in the disputed South China Sea

PH aborts construction on Pag-asa sandbar after China protest
(UPDATED) 'We tried to put some structures in one of the sandbars near our island and the Chinese reacted....The President said, "Let's pull out,"' Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana reveals at the ASEAN Leadership Forum

PH to monitor movements of China's new 'island-maker'
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana is not worried yet but he says the mere presence of the ship in the West Philippine Sea will definitely be a concern

As China aims for 'world-class army', Asia starts to worry
Xi's call to build a military that can "fight and win" has alarmed China's neighbors, several of whom are embroiled in tense border disputes with the superpower

WATCH: PH, China improve ties amid sticky issues in West PH Sea
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua and Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Eduardo Año cite proverbs to rule 'new era' of relationship

Vietnam slams China over military drills in disputed sea
UPDATED Hanoi condemns Beijing s latest military drills in the Paracel Islands a contentious archipelago claimed by both sides

At 50, ASEAN faces unpleasant reality check
At 50 can ASEAN step forward to be the agenda setter putting in place the rules and norms of a regional order governed by international law?

Duterte: Why should I defend West PH Sea sandbar?
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says the presence of Chinese ships in Sandy Cay near Pag asa Island does not count as invasion

Delay hits gov't plan to fix runway in West Philippine Sea
Construction has yet to start 4 months since Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced the need to immediately repair the Philippine airstrip on Pag asa Island

DFA defends Cayetano claim on China reclamation
The DFA says the Philippines position on the South China Sea dispute is always based on the latest intelligence we have on the ground

#ThewRap: Things you need to know, August 11, 2017
Hello Here are the stories you shouldn t miss this Friday

Photos prove Cayetano, Wang wrong on China reclamation
CSIS releases photos that show China didn t stop its reclamation activities in 2015 as claimed by Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi

Don't tell us what to do, PH tells countries on sea dispute
The problem of territorial disputes between China and the Philippines is between China and the Philippines says Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano

PH admits not pushing ASEAN to hit China island building
Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano says he didn t want to include China s aggressive behavior in the ASEAN foreign ministers joint statement

China claims ASEAN statement not hitting them
On land reclamation in the South China Sea Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says Maybe the countries that are talking about it are the ones doing it

U.S., Australia, Japan to PH: Follow the ruling you won
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop voice their strong opposition to coercive unilateral actions in the disputed South China Sea

ASEAN talks tough vs China island building
UPDATED Southeast Asian foreign ministers defy expectations that they will issue a weaker statement at the end of their Manila meeting

China warns ASEAN vs 'outside parties' in South China Sea
This comes after foreign ministers of ASEAN and China adopted the framework of a Code of Conduct in the disputed South China Sea

Southeast Asian nations feud over China sea claims
UPDATED Southeast Asian nations fight to find a compromise on how to deal with Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea

South China Sea, North Korea for discussion at ASEAN forum
UPDATED The issues set the stage for what is expected to be a fiery few days of diplomacy in the Philippine capital

Malacañang: Joint dev't deal in disputed sea should favor PH
The statement comes after President Rodrigo Duterte s meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi who backs joint development in the West Philippine Sea

Hague ruling, BBL, Roach | Evening wRap
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Palace: A year after Hague ruling, PH-China dialogue going well
On Wednesday July 12 it will have been one year since the Philippines scored a historic victory over China in the South China Sea maritime dispute

Xi raises 'negative factors' in call with Trump
UPDATED Chinese President Xi Jinping tells US counterpart Donald Trump that Sino US relations have been hit by negative factors in a phone call following days of US actions that have vexed Beijing

U.S. warship sails close to South China Sea island occupied by Beijing
UPDATED The USS Stethem passes less than 12 nautical miles from Triton Island a move likely to provoke China

Dutertismo and the West Philippine Sea: Year One
Despite its apparent benefits Duterte s policy has not generated any assurance that China will not impose itself and its pre emptive claim over waters and resources that legally pertain to the Philippines

China can't 'buy its way out' of global problems – U.S.
Rex Tillerson: We desire productive relationships but we cannot allow China to use its economic power to buy its way out of other problems

China rejects 'irresponsible' U.S. remarks on South China Sea
The Chinese foreign ministry accuses certain countries outside the region of making erroneous remarks driven by ulterior motives

China rebukes G7 over statement on seas
China is strongly dissatisfied at the G7 summit gesticulating over the issues of the East and South China seas under the guise of international law
