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Philippine scientists harassed by China helicopter
Another case of harassment at sea by the Chinese has been reported – this time near Pag-Asa Island last Saturday – involving a helicopter, which hovered dangerously close to a group of Filipino scientists doing research work on a sand bar called Sandy Cay, causing minor injuries......»»
Philippine scientists harassed by China helicoper
Another case of harassment at sea by the Chinese has been reported – this time near Pag-Asa Island last Saturday – involving a helicopter, which hovered dangerously close to a group of Filipino scientists doing research work on a sand bar called Sandy Cay, causing minor injuries......»»
Consider alliances with Netherlands, Norway, DFA urged
The Department of Foreign Affairs should consider alliances with non-defense allies like Norway, the Netherlands and other countries for maritime exploration, research and development amid conflict with China over the West Philippines Sea (WPS), Sen. Francis Tolentino said yesterday......»»
WPS tension: Chinese vessel blocks PH research ship
A China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel again made “dangerous maneuvers” on Thursday and tried to block a Philippine fishery vessel carrying marine scientists conducting research in the West Philippine Sea or WPS. Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the WPS, told a press briefing on Friday that CCG vessel 5204 crossed the.....»»
Senator calls out loitering China vessels in Philippines Rise
Chinese vessels were caught “loitering” and doing research in Benham Rise, also called Philippine Rise, which is within the country’s exclusive economic zone, Sen. Francis Tolentino said yesterday......»»
Chinese presence at NGCP
The Chinese presence at NGCP can be blamed on former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who allowed it to happen. She was very close to China, trying a pivot to China away from the United States through Chinese supported infrastructure projects......»»
Steps gaining exporter status under RCEP outlined
Exporters wishing to avail themselves of preferential tariffs under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership can apply with the Bureau of Customs to become an approved exporter, according to a customs official. Gina German, head of the Preferential Rate Unit of the BoC Port of Manila, is encouraging Filipino exporters to start leveraging the RCEP’s benefits, foremost of which is being allowed to source materials and products from the 14 other member parties of the mega free trade agreement at lower duty rates. Study and comply German also urged companies to study and comply with the RCEP’s rules of origin (ROO), a requirement to get preferential tariff treatment under the world’s biggest trade deal. Essentially, the ROO can be regarded as a passport for products, a way to determine the country of origin of a product and establish its eligibility for preferential tariff treatment. It can help businesses reduce costs and boost their competitiveness within the regional market. Under RCEP, originating goods are those falling under three categories: wholly obtained in the RCEP party or member state of the agreement; those produced in a party exclusively from originating materials from one or more of the parties; and those produced in a party using non-originating materials, provided the good satisfies the applicable requirements set out in Annex 3A (Product-Specific Rules). Documentary requirements German said applicants seeking “approved exporter” status under RCEP should submit the following documentary requirements: • Duly accomplished application form • BoC’s Certificate of Registration • Product Evaluation Report or PER, if applicable Meanwhile, traders applying for approved exporter status, should submit a producer’s declaration indicating the originating status of the good for which the trader will be completing a declaration of origin and stating the producer’s readiness to cooperate in verification. “If you are a trader, you need to know who produces the good or you still have a declaration that it is originating in the Philippines so that you will be ready during the retro verification or verification of the importing country,” said German during her talk last month at a Department of Trade and Industry webinar. In addition applicants have to submit a list of the authorized signatories of the DO and their respective specimen signatures. The application form should be submitted in both hard copy and electronic Portable Document Format to the deputy commissioner of the Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group through the Customer Care Center or CCC. The Export Coordination Division or ECD will then evaluate the application based on the following criteria: Exporter is a legitimate exporter who must have been transacting with the BOC for at least one year prior to the date of application Exporter must have been exporting products to at least one RCEP party for at least one year • Exporter must have good compliance measured by risk management of the BOC • Exporter must have a sound bookkeeping and recordkeeping system • Exporter must have responsible officers or persons authorized to sign the DO, who must have sufficient knowledge, competence in ROO application • Exporter must be willing to be subjected to regular monitoring and inspection to determine correctness of its declaration with respect to the goods exported. Written authorization After evaluation the ECD will grant the status of approved exporter to the successful applicants by issuing a written authorization with its corresponding authorization code within 14 working days. From there, the BOC will input the details of the approved exporter in its Approved Exporter Database for circulation among the RCEP parties. RCEP came into effect officially for the Philippines on June 2, 2023 after the Senate finally ratified the agreement in February this year. The Philippines was the last country to ratify RCEP, a free trade pact among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam — and the five ASEAN FTA partners Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand. The post Steps gaining exporter status under RCEP outlined appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Subscription plan promises boosted replies at X, formerly Twitter
X on Friday unveiled a $16-a-month subscription plan allowing users who pay more to get the biggest boost for their replies posted at the platform formerly known as Twitter. The "Premium+" plan is ad-free and designed to provide "the largest reply boost" at X, the company said in a post. The plan builds on features offered in a Blue subscription plan costing $3 monthly and a Premium Plan priced at $8 monthly, according to X. Listed features of Premium+ include a blue tick next to names in profiles along with "a visible ID verification label," according to X. The platform recently started charging new users in New Zealand and the Philippines for basic features such as posting messages in a trial aimed at reducing spam. Musk has suggested charging all X users, but the idea was widely panned. Industry analysts said it would make X even less appealing to advertisers. Musk has made a number of controversial changes to the social media firm's management and product since he acquired Twitter a year ago for $44 billion. In the days after his purchase, Musk quickly fired many Twitter executives and took the publicly traded company private. He also laid off most of the San Francisco-based company's workers, cutting ranks to fewer than 1,500 from 8,000. In the months following his takeover, Musk gutted content moderation, restored accounts of previously banned extremists, and allowed users to purchase account verification, helping them profit from viral -- but often inaccurate -- posts. Musk defended such changes in the name of free speech. Over the past year, the platform's advertising business partially collapsed as marketers soured on X. Musk started charging for features once free at Twitter, such as blue tick marks originally intended as badges of authenticity, in an effort to make money from subscriptions. X is tinkering with video and audio calling at the platform formerly known as Twitter, according to a recent post by Musk. Musk in July rebranded Twitter as X, saying it would become an "everything app" inspired by China's WeChat that would allow users to socialize as well as handle their finances. The post Subscription plan promises boosted replies at X, formerly Twitter appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PCG’s problematic dualism
There is a world of difference between the roles of a civilian agency and those of a military command. No civilian agency or military command should be doing the role of the other, lest they overlap, conflict, or render redundant their authority. The role of the Philippine Coast Guard is a good subject for legislative review — whether it fulfills a purely civilian function or a purely military one. The fact that it’s an attached agency of the Department of Transportation as much as an attached service of the Department of National Defense “confers” upon it a dualism that may be at cross purposes. While the PCG can fit either role, it shouldn’t. For in so doing, the line between maritime law enforcement and national defense is blurred. One may be led to think that, perforce, the PCG is unadulteratedly a military organization as it used to be part of the Philippine Navy, a major branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Something explains this duality, but it may require assessment as to whether it must continue to have this dual character. In principle, any individual or unit that performs a task or mandate that essentially belongs solely to the military must forthwith be under a military commander or military organization. Who can even begin to fathom what it means when the Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard reports directly to the Transportation Secretary in the enforcement of maritime law, but also reports to the Defense Secretary if not the President in wartime? If one should take a cursory look at those who served as commandants of the PCG since its founding in 1967 under different presidents, one would find, viz.: 1) During Rodrigo Duterte’s term, only three served for over a year, while four served for less than a year, and one for only 18 days; 2) Under Benigno Aquino, four barely completed a year, one just a year, and one more than two years; 3) Under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, three served for barely a year, two served over two years or so; 4) Under Joseph Estrada, one served for two years; 5) In Fidel Ramos’ time, five served for less than a year, one for 32 days, and one for almost three years; 6) Under Corazon Aquino, two served for two years, one for three years, and two for a week or so; 7) Under Ferdinand Marcos Sr., four served for over a year, three served for 3, 4, 5 years, respectively. This tells us that commandants, as presidential appointees, must be the personal choices of the presidents they serve. With a change of the occupant in Malacañang, a change in the leadership of the PCG also takes place, good or bad. It’s said that the PCG’s “transformation into a non-military organization” and its “civilian character” allowed it “to receive offers of vessels, equipment, technology, services, cooperation and other needed assistance from other countries,” that otherwise would not have been feasible were it a military agency. President Fidel Ramos signed Executive Order 475 on 30 March 1998 to separate the PCG from the Philippine Navy, and Executive Order 477 to transfer it from the DND to the DoTC, a month thereafter. Thus, even FM Jr. has been heard saying, “Our friends from other countries will help strengthen the PCG’s capabilities.” Today, the President envisions the PCG as a “central actor” insofar as West Philippine Sea matters are concerned; thus, he ordered several 40-foot long patrol vessels to be built in Cebu to improve the PCG’s capabilities in maritime territorial disputes. In the face of China’s unprecedented coast guard expansion — the largest in the world — “civilianizing” the PCG makes little sense. It’s a Catch-22 on how to “reinvent” the PCG. Military strategists had miserably failed. The post PCG’s problematic dualism appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Collision or ramming?
When nations compete for dominance, the concepts of fairness and sovereignty often go by the wayside. This weekend’s collision of Philippine vessels with Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea should serve as a vivid reminder of China’s aggressive expansionism in this crucial maritime region. While troubling, this incident is just part of a larger pattern of Chinese harassment of Philippine vessels within our territorial waters. China once again relied on its victim-blaming strategy, accusing the Philippines of “deliberately stirring up trouble” in an incident that the Philippine Coast Guard allegedly planned. These claims are ridiculous and unfounded, part of China’s long-running endeavor to legitimize its illegal acts in the West Philippine Sea. But regardless of Beijing’s bluster, the Philippines has the right to stand up to a neighborhood bully. Its claim to sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea is firmly rooted in the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s 2016 ruling, which categorically rejected China’s extensive claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, including areas that overlap with the West Philippine Sea. This landmark decision made it evident that China’s historical claims do not hold up under international law, in an area where competing claims by other countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan have sparked geopolitical concerns. Historically, the territorial irritants that have the potential to become full-blown conflicts have centered on fishing rights, oil and gas reserves, and the strategic importance of controlling these waterways. Still, unlike China’s bold territorial expansion and contempt for international jurisprudence, the Philippines’ approach is founded on the rule of law. China’s predilections extend beyond the assertion of spurious territorial claims, as it includes the unauthorized construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea. These man-made islands function as military outposts, providing China with a strategic regional advantage. Such acts are not only illegal, but they also pose a direct threat to regional peace and stability. As the Philippines struggles for its rights, exposing China’s duplicity on a global scale is critical. While China portrays itself as a rational and responsible nation in international crises such as the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the Israel-Hamas conflict, its actions in the South China Sea reflect a different face — that of a regional bully. China cannot preach peace and diplomacy while actively pursuing territorial expansion and disregarding international law when it does not support its aspirations. The collision (or was it an intentional incident of ramming by China of Philippine vessels?) near the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands is just the latest chapter in China’s unrelenting pursuit of regional supremacy. Philippine efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and defend international law merit support not only from its neighbors, but also from the world community at large. The West Philippine Sea is more than just a body of water; it represents sovereignty, justice, and the triumph of law over aggression. The Philippines’ resistance to China’s bullying is a fight for the rights of all nations that value international norms, territorial integrity, and conflict resolution through peaceful means. China’s activities in the West Philippine Sea and its disrespect for the verdict of the Permanent Court of Arbitration must be countered by the international community with the position that in the South China Sea, might does not equal right. As we consider the perilous situation in the West Philippine Sea, it’s critical to understand that this is not a one-off occurrence but part of a larger pattern. The Philippines has been subjected to constant harassment by Chinese vessels within its own waters. Filipino fishermen are being harassed, maritime resources (like coral reefs) are being pillaged, and Filipino military troops are being put in danger by Chinese warships that have no business being in Philippine waters. There can never be a repeat of the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff, which allowed China to build bases on man-made islands. As it stands resolute against China’s gunboat diplomacy, the Philippines serves as a beacon of hope for all nations confronting unjustified hostility. The Philippines’ dedication to upholding international law, maintaining its sovereignty, and defending its people’s rights is admirable. The post Collision or ramming? appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Global trade’s call
The 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration award has proven to have a more significant value than favoring the Philippine position in the West Philippine Sea dispute as international law experts said it plugged the legal loopholes on the freedom of navigation. China insists on its historical claim to the West Philippine Sea, or WPS, but it never articulated the legal status of the sea areas within the “nine-dash line,” which lie beyond its territorial sea and exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. “However, by laying ‘historic’ claim to all the WPS features (islands, rocks, and reefs) and referring to all these as islands entitled to EEZ and Legal Continental Shelf status, it has implicitly claimed sovereign jurisdiction over the entire sea area enclosed within the nine-dash line,” National Maritime Foundation of New Delhi Executive Director Gurpreet Khurana said. “Based on such assumed sovereign rights — though disputed by other claimant states — China has been curtailing freedom of navigation in these areas, particularly for warships,” Khurana added. He recalled that in the days leading to the international tribunal’s verdict on the China-Philippines arbitration, Beijing declared a “no sail zone” in the area of dispute during a major naval exercise from 4 to 11 July 2016. Initially, it was solely the United States that had been actively conducting naval operations to protect the international sea lanes, but Beijing’s increasing aggressiveness raised the threat level in the region. The WPS is one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. Ships carrying goods between markets in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas transit through it. An estimated $5.3 trillion in trade passes through the sea annually. One country controlling the sea lane may require ships to circumnavigate it, which would involve considerable expense and delays in delivering goods. Thus, most nations have a direct stake in ensuring that freedom of navigation is respected in the WPS. Geopolitical analysts said the actions of China, mainly the setting up of infrastructure in the disputed maritime zone, have been the source of the escalation of threats of direct conflict. Beijing has accused the Philippines and the United States of scaling up the stakes in the disputed waters through provocative actions like the recent expansion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA. China, nonetheless, has left out the need to keep the lanes open to all nations, which is the paramount issue. The US has said it does not take a position on territorial disputes over features in the WPS. Its involvement concerns the illegal claims to the waters surrounding sea features and the illegal restrictions on navigation. Several states in the region have made excessive maritime claims that illegally limit the freedom of navigation. Washington said it conducts freedom of navigation operations in the WPS to protest these claims. China has accused the Philippines of being complicit with the US in the latter’s actions in the WPS, and when it comes down to the issues involved, the accusation could only be true. The Philippines joins other countries in ensuring that the sea passage remains open to all nations, and a single country’s control of the international waters should never be allowed. Despite Beijing’s oft-repeated claim that it adheres to UNCLOS, its actions in the WPS are inconsistent with the law. Just recently, it expanded its historic claim to a 10-dash line. As a responsible member of the international community, nations expect China to adhere to the international tribunal ruling. China respecting the arbitration award would not only contribute to peace and prosperity, it would be in the long-term interest of all, including that of the superpower. The post Global trade’s call appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PCG condemns China-installed floating barrier in southeast part of Bajo de Masinloc
The Philippines has accused the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) of building a "floating barrier" that forbids Filipinos from fishing in the contested area of the West Philippine Sea. In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Jay Tarriela said the barrier in part of the Scarborough Shoal prevents Filipino fishing boats from entering the shoal and depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities. Images from the region, known as Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines, showed Chinese boats set up and monitored several buoys and barriers arranged and protected by Chinese boats. Tarriela said the PCG and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) personnel found the Chinese boats setting up the 300-meter-long barrier on Friday while on a "routine maritime patrol." "Three CCG's Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) and Chinese Maritime Militia's service boat installed the floating barrier upon arrival of the BFAR vessel in the vicinity of the shoal. The Filipino fishermen reported that the CCG vessels usually install floating barriers whenever they monitor many Filipino fishermen in the area," Tarriela said. He added that the BFAR vessel observed more than 50 FFBs engaged in fishing activities in the area during the routine maritime patrol. Recognizing the importance of supporting the artisanal or subsistence fishing of these fishermen, Tariella said the BFAR provided them with various grocery items and fuel subsidies to sustain their operations. However, a total of four CCG vessels, namely CCG-3065, CCG-3066, CCG-3105, and CCG-3301, initiated a series of 15 radio challenges in an attempt to drive away the BFAR vessel and FFBs. "The CCG crew alleged that the presence of the BFAR vessel and Filipino fishermen violated international law and the domestic laws of the People's Republic of China (PRC)," Tariella said. "The BFAR vessel responded to each and every radio calls and emphasized that they were carrying out a routine patrol within the territorial sea of BDM," he added. Tariella further mentioned that the CCG vessels maintained a safe distance and moved away upon realizing the presence of media personnel onboard the BFAR vessel. "The PCG will continue to work closely with all concerned government agencies to address these challenges, uphold our maritime rights and protect our maritime domains," Tarriela said. However, the Chinese embassy in Manila has yet to comment on the matter. China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, which overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. Beijing annexed the Scarborough Shoal in 2012, forcing Filipino fishermen to travel farther in search of lesser catches. During the period when bilateral ties were significantly improving under then-President Rodrigo Duterte, Beijing allowed Filipino fishermen to return to the uninhabited shoal. However, since Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his successor, gained government last year, tensions have increased once more. The post PCG condemns China-installed floating barrier in southeast part of Bajo de Masinloc appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Senators seek removal of floating barrier in Bajo de Masinloc
Senators on Sunday sought the removal of the floating barrier installed by China in Bajo de Masinloc, a traditional fishing ground for Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea. In separate statements, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, Senators Risa Hontiveros and Francis Tolentino, called on the Philippine government to remove the floating barrier around Bajo de Masinloc, which prevents Filipino fishermen from entering the shoal for their livelihood activities. According to Zubiri, China has “no right to put any structures within our exclusive economic zone,” referring to the floating barriers allegedly installed by the Chinese Coast Guard around Bajo de Masinloc. “These structures pose a danger on passing fishing boats that can get entangled on the lines and cause considerable damage to the propellers and engines of our fisherfolk,” he said in a message to reporters on Viber. “Therefore I would like to request our Philippine Coast Guard to immediately cut and remove all these illegal structures located at our West Philippine Sea not just to assert our sovereign rights to the area but to protect our fishermen from any possible accidents that may arise from these illegal structures,” he added. The Philippine Coast Guard on early Sunday reported the presence of a floating barrier in the southern portion of Bajo de Masincloc – allegedly installed by China. The Senate chief expressed gratitude to the PCG for its “untiring ang unwavering commitment to watch and protect the areas within our Exclusive Economic Zones and Bajo de Masinloc is well within our 12NM territory.” “We in the Senate stand by our brave men and women who risk their lives for the freedoms that we enjoy today,” he said. Senator Francis Tolentino, who chairs the Senate Special Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones, echoed the Senate chief’s request on the PCG. “I agree with the removal of the floating barrier because it is not allowed to do it. It signifies a restricted zone,” Tolentino said in a separate statement on Filipino. According to him, only the Philippines is allowed to install floating barriers in emergencies such as oil spills or if its part of aquaculture management as a temporary measure. “Bajo de Masinloc is 120 nautical miles only from Zambales. Our fishermen should not be stopped by China from fishing in our fence,” he said. “China violated international law when it installed the floating barrier. It should be removed immediately. The PCG is correct in assisting our fishermen,” he added. Cruelty For her part, Hontiveros described the recent China’s act as “cruelty.” “China’s cruelty knows no bounds. They have no shame in blocking our fishermen from their own waters,” she said. “Filipino fisherfolk are among the poorest in our country. They only rely on our seas for their food and their livelihood,” she added. The opposition senator reiterated China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea, particularly the recent coral destruction along Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal. “The next generation would no longer benefit from these natural resources,” she said. “We will not allow China to starve our fellow Filipinos to death. I trust that the Philippine Coast Guard can escort our fisherfolk and ensure that they pass through the floating barriers,” she added. Hontiveros renewed her call to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to review the current national policy towards China. “We should no longer accept acts like this going unpunished. If we allow China’s bullying to continue, it will cost the lives of our own people,” she stressed. The Daily Tribune sought comments from the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Chinese Embassy in Manila about the developments in the West Philippine Sea, but they have yet to respond as of press time. The post Senators seek removal of floating barrier in Bajo de Masinloc appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ministry says possibly radioactive metal stolen from Fukushima
Construction workers stole and sold potentially radioactive scrap metal from near the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, the Japanese environment ministry said on Thursday. The materials went missing from a museum being demolished in a special zone around four kilometers (2.5 miles) from the atomic plant in northeast Japan knocked out by a tsunami in 2011. Although people were allowed to return to the area in 2022 after intense decontamination work, radiation levels can still be above normal and it is surrounded by a no-go zone. Japan's environment ministry was informed of the theft by workers from a joint venture conducting the demolition work in late July and is "exchanging information with police", ministry official Kei Osada told AFP. Osada said the metal may have been used in the frame of the building, "which means that it's unlikely that these metals were exposed to high levels of radiation when the nuclear accident occurred". If radioactivity levels are high, metals from the area must go to an interim storage facility or be properly disposed of. If low, they can be re-used. However, the stolen scrap metals had not been measured for radiation levels, Osada said. The Mainichi Shimbun daily, citing unidentified sources, reported on Tuesday that the workers sold the scrap metal to companies outside the zone for about 900,000 yen ($6,000). It is unclear what volume of metal went missing, where it is now, or if it poses a health risk. The March 11, 2011, tsunami caused multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant in the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. Numerous areas around the plant have been declared safe for residents to return after extensive decontamination work, with just 2.2 percent of the prefecture still covered by no-go orders. Japan began releasing into the Pacific Ocean last month more than a billion liters of wastewater that had been collected in and around 1,000 steel tanks at the site. Plant operator TEPCO says the water is safe, a view backed by the UN atomic watchdog, but China has accused Japan of treating the ocean like a "sewer". The post Ministry says possibly radioactive metal stolen from Fukushima appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UN chief convenes ‘no nonsense’ climate summit, without China or US
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set Wednesday to host a climate meeting marred at its outset by the absence of speakers from the world's top two emitters, China and the United States. Despite increasing extreme weather events and record-shattering global temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and fossil fuel companies reap handsome profits. Guterres has thus billed the "Climate Ambition Summit" as a "no nonsense" forum where leaders or cabinet ministers will announce specific actions that deliver on their commitments under the Paris Agreement. The bar for making the podium was set high, with the UN chief making clear that only leaders who had made concrete plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse emissions would be allowed to speak. After receiving more than 100 applications to take part, the UN finally released a list on Tuesday night of 41 speakers which did not include China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan or India. "Tomorrow, I will welcome credible first movers and doers to our Climate Ambition Summit," Guterres said Tuesday. Several major leaders didn't bother making the trip to New York for this year's UN General Assembly, including President Xi Jinping of China and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from the United Kingdom, who said he was too busy. US President Joe Biden, who addressed the General Assembly on Tuesday, sent his climate envoy John Kerry to the meeting -- though Kerry won't be permitted to speak. "There's no doubt that the absence of so many leaders from the world's biggest economies and emitters will clearly have an impact on the outcomes of the summit," Alden Meyer of climate think tank E3G said. He blamed competing issues -- from the Ukraine conflict to US-China tensions and rising economic uncertainty. "But I think it's also the opposition in many of these countries from the fossil fuel industry and other powerful interests to the kind of transformational changes that are needed," said Meyer. Catherine Abreu, executive director of nonprofit Destination Zero, said it was "perhaps a good-news story that we see Biden not being given a speaking slot at the summit" because the United States is continuing to expand fossil fuel projects even as it makes historic investments in renewables. "I think about this as being a correction from past summits, where leaders have been given the opportunity to take credit for climate leadership on the global stage, while they continue to pursue plans to develop fossil fuels, and continue driving the climate crisis back at home," she added. While the United States won't take the rostrum, California will be represented by Governor Gavin Newsom. From Britain, London Mayor Sadiq Khan will also attend. Growing anger The event is the biggest climate summit in New York since 2019, when Greta Thunberg stunned the world with her "How Dare You" speech before the UN. Anger is building among climate activists, particularly younger people, who turned out in thousands last weekend for the "March to End Fossil Fuels" in New York. Observers are eager however to see what Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen say both on their own goals and on financing commitments for the developing world. The failure of advanced economies, responsible for the majority of historic emissions, to honor their promises to the worst affected lower-income nations has long been a sore point in climate talks. There are some bright spots, including the announcement that Colombia and Panama are joining a grouping called the Powering Past Coal Alliance -- particularly notable as Colombia is the world's sixth biggest coal exporter. Wednesday's summit comes weeks ahead of the COP28 climate talks in the United Arab Emirates, where goals include tripling renewable energy by 2030, and ending by 2050 the generation of fossil fuel energy that isn't "abated" by carbon capture technology. The post UN chief convenes ‘no nonsense’ climate summit, without China or US appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sovereign shame
The government should recognize the possibility that Chinese workers in the country are committing espionage amid the escalating territorial friction in the West Philippine Sea. Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro raised the alarm, saying employees of mainly Chinese state firms may be engaged in potential “covert economic and information activities,” including propaganda operations, to sway public opinion in favor of the mainland. Among the workers on the watchlist are “the ones hired by Beijing’s state-run enterprises involved in public infrastructure projects,” according to Teodoro. The Department of National Defense said it is looking into clandestine dealings “happening in the background.” “It’s the activities that we cannot see… that’s what alarms us,” the defense chief said. “The best way to weaken a country, rather than by an overt warlike function or disruption of [its] facilities, is really to take control of [its] internal economy, internal processes, and the like,” Teodoro pointed out. The records of Chinese migrants in the country are inadequate based on previous Senate hearings. No government agency was able to provide the Senate, for instance, with an accurate number of illegal Chinese workers, indicating that they are not being monitored. Labor agencies have also failed to keep track of how many foreign workers are in jobs that, by mandate of the Constitution, should be for Filipinos only. Under the law, foreigners are only allowed to work in jobs that require highly specialized skills and where no Filipinos are deemed competent to do them. During the Senate probe, it was also discovered that as many as 119,000 Chinese nationals who came to the country as tourists are now residents and have jobs in violation of labor regulations. Chinese tourists, through some “gainful” means, were able to obtain special work permits from the Bureau of Immigration. They now work in very diverse areas such as Metro Manila, Clark, Subic, Cagayan and Cagayan de Oro. In one of the inquiries, a Department of Labor and Employment official explained that the special permits were issued without the need for an Alien Employment Permit, or AEP, because the nature of the employment was temporary, lasting from three to six months. The loose process, thus, has allowed foreign workers to enter the country practically unbridled. Senators questioned the discrepancy between the AEPs issued and the number of Chinese workers in the country. Independent sources said that as many as 200,000 to 400,000 Chinese workers are in the country. Four different agencies issue different permits that make the situation worse. The biggest insult by China is that its propaganda work against the Philippines and other opponents in the territorial conflicts is done in this country. Facebook recently removed two networks of fake accounts that were spreading government propaganda, one originating in China and the other in the Philippines. Taken down were 155 Facebook accounts, 11 pages, nine groups and seven Instagram accounts traced to China, and 57 accounts, 31 pages and 20 Instagram accounts based in the Philippines. Such operations breach Facebook’s rules against “coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign or government entity.” The Chinese network used faces created through an AI technique known as GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks). Facebook was able to trace the origins of the accounts because of their visual signatures. “This form of AI is readily available online, and its use (or abuse) by covert operations has exploded in the last year,” according to a report on the social media platform. Identified were a dozen GAN-generated images from the Chinese propaganda operation. Teodoro, who has access to a wealth of information, in revealing the supposed operations being conducted by the Chinese in the country’s backyard, virtually confirmed the problem has reached alarming proportions. It would be easy for the government to keep track of foreign workers if only the appropriate agencies would resist the seduction of human smuggling. In accepting bribes to let the aliens skirt the law, these officials and functionaries have placed our national security at risk. The post Sovereign shame appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Chn maritime militia actively blocking resupply mission to Ayungin — Tarriela
The Philippine Coast Guard said the country’s recent rotation and resupply mission confirmed the active participation of “Chinese maritime militia vessels” in blocking the Philippine ships en route to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Jay Tarriela, said the CCM’s participation in intimidating Filipino troops was notably “covert” during the previous RoRe mission. “But for this particular resupply mission, it has been very clear that the Chinese Maritime Militia are performing an active role to block the resupply mission,” he said. Tarriela identified the four CMM vessels as Qiong Sansha Yu 00231, 00115, 00114, and 00008, accompanying four other Chinese Coast Guard ships that conducted “dangerous maneuvers” against the Philippine Navy supply boats and the PCG ships. The RoRe mission was successfully completed despite China’s blocking and intimidation. Meanwhile, National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya labeled these militias as part of the so-called “China’s gray zone tactics”— a term often used by security experts to describe activities that are below the threshold of what constitutes aggression to prevent the country from using self-defense. The Armed Forces of the Philippines earlier reported that more than 400 foreign fishing vessels are being monitored in the country’s exclusive economic zone within the WPS. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, foreign countries are allowed to conduct freedom of navigation and overflight operations within the EEZ. However, only the Philippines has the exclusive right to exploit all natural resources and conduct law enforcement activities in the area. While the encroachment was clear, Tarriela pointed out that it is still difficult for the country to carry out law enforcement against the maritime militia vessels. “It’s very difficult for us to categorize the Chinese fishing vessels. Are they just Chinese fishing vessels that are subject to fishery law enforcement or these are Chinese maritime militia which is part of a military establishment that can enjoy sovereign immunity,” he explained. The issue would boil down to the PCG’s capability to chase away these ships that often come in swarms, he added. Tarriela also explained that most of the time, the size of these Chinese fishing vessels or Chinese maritime militia has an overall length of at least 60 meters. “We’re talking about by 10s, 20s, 30s and we have a 44-meter coast guard vessel,” he added. Tarriela lamented that the only thing the country could do was to challenge these vessels using a radio “telling them to depart, and of course, patrolling those areas and reporting that to the NTF-WPS.” Hence, Malaya said it is critical for the Philippines to strengthen partnerships with like-minded countries and show China that “we have this network of alliances that support our position” as the rightful possessor of the WPS. “We may not have sovereignty over it, but we have the right to exploit the natural resources. We allow freedom of navigation according to international law ngunit ang puwede lang makinabang sa EEZ ay ang Pilipinas (but the only one allowed to benefit from that EEZ is the Philippines),” Malaya said. The post Chn maritime militia actively blocking resupply mission to Ayungin — Tarriela appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US and Vietnam set to expand ties as China worries grow
US President Joe Biden arrives in Vietnam on Sunday set to deepen cooperation between the two nations, in the face of China's growing ambitions in the region. Biden -- who is flying from the G20 summit in New Delhi -- will meet the leader of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, on Sunday, and is expected to sign off on a "comprehensive strategic partnership", Hanoi's highest level of diplomatic ties. The underlying goal of the short visit will be much the same as during Biden's time at the G20 gathering -- to shore up support against China's increasing influence. For Vietnam, the upgrading of diplomatic ties is significant. It only has top-level ties with Russia, India, South Korea and China. Although it will be careful to be seen as not taking sides between the United States and China, Vietnam shares American concerns about its neighbor's growing assertiveness in the contested South China Sea. The United States and Vietnam -- a key manufacturing hub -- also have increasingly close trade ties, and Washington sees Hanoi as an important partner as it looks to source less from China after supply chain shocks rocked the global economy in recent years. In Hanoi on Sunday, there will be a welcome ceremony, speeches by the two leaders and a press conference by the US president -- who on Tuesday awarded the top US military honor to a helicopter pilot who rescued four soldiers during the Vietnam War. Biden will meet President Vo Van Thuong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh the following day. Ahead of the 80-year-old US president's arrival, Hanoi's central Hoan Kiem Lake area, packed with families out for a weekend stroll, was adorned with American and Vietnamese flags. Nearby in the city's old quarter, a souvenir shop sold T-shirts with Biden's face emblazoned across the front. "I think the US is a good friend to Vietnam," said the shop's 61-year-old owner Truong Thanh Duc. "With this visit of President Joe Biden, I think he will bring more business contracts and jobs to Vietnamese people." - Human rights - In Vietnam, Biden will be juggling strategic interests with the defense of human rights. The Southeast Asian country has a dire human rights record. Government critics face intimidation, harassment and imprisonment after unfair trials, and there are reports of police torture to extract confessions, Human Rights Watch says. While the president has often criticized China's human rights record, he has largely stayed quiet on Vietnam and campaigners are fearful he may not press the subject. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said prior to the trip that Biden would raise issues related "to freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and other basic human rights". His visit comes days after a US government commission on religious freedom harshly criticized Vietnam for "egregious, ongoing, and systematic violations". On Saturday, Nguyen Bac Truyen, a legal expert and religious freedom advocate who was sentenced in 2018 to 11 years in prison for subversion, said on Facebook he had been released and allowed to travel to Germany with his wife. Vietnam often releases political prisoners prior to US presidential visits. Biden's visit to Hanoi will mean he leaves early from the G20 summit, where leaders agreed on a joint declaration that papered over deep divisions on the war in Ukraine and tackling climate change, avoiding direct criticism of Moscow and any concrete pledge to phase out polluting fossil fuels. His Vietnam trip will also include a poignant visit to the memorial to his friend John McCain, the former US senator shot down and held captive during the Vietnam War who in later years helped rebuild ties between the two countries. burs-aph/sco © Agence France-Presse The post US and Vietnam set to expand ties as China worries grow appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
On WPS conflict, ‘Trillanes cut deals’
Amid the guessing game started by China on who the unnamed President was who promised to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile has pointed to a former senator as the culprit. “I haven’t heard from previous presidents that they promised to remove the Sierra Madre, but what I know is that the late President Benigno Aquino III did some backchanneling, and his backdoor agent was former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV,” Enrile said. He added: “Trillanes bypassed then Ambassador Sonia Brady in negotiating with China, and his only credential was he rode in a Philippine Navy boat when he was in the military service.” “The subject of the backchanneling was the Scarborough Shoal standoff, but Trillanes was deceived by the Chinese. The Philippine vessels withdrew from the area of the deadlock, but China stayed put,” he recalled. 2012 Senate skirmish Then-senator Enrile and Trillanes had a confrontation in September 2012 over the government’s covert negotiations with China that Aquino had assigned to Trillanes. In a face-off on the Senate floor, Enrile produced the so-called Brady notes, a report on the discussions between the ambassador and Trillanes on the backchanneling mission. During his several engagements with Chinese officials, Enrile quoted the Brady notes as saying that Trillanes indicated that Filipinos needed more interest in the conflicting claims in the region. Enrile said the Brady notes stated that Aquino was not made fully aware of the details of Trillanes’s actions, and there was a point when the President did not know the talks were suspended for two weeks and that Trillanes was acting on his own. “And for whom? Whose interest was he serving?” Enrile asked. While admitting that it was the prerogative of Aquino as Commander-in-Chief to resort to backchannel talks, designating Trillanes was a huge mistake, he said. “Trillanes should have been discreet, and he should have brought along an embassy representative to record the event. Trillanes thought he was James Bond. That should not have been allowed,” Enrile said. “A person entrusted by the President with a mission must first exercise discretion. When you go to a country to deal with a foreign power, you must notify the embassy,” he said. “Trillanes should have notified the embassy to alert them that he was there on a mission, and he should have brought along at least one responsible official,” he added. He continued: “Everybody should have known that international law already provided the way to settle the dispute, which was the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but which China did not respect.” “China based its claims not on international law but on its might. We should have a counter-balancing force,” according to Enrile. “We should not rely solely on the assistance of other nations; we should keep building up our military assets.” “We should also be prepared, and one way to do that is to require all young Filipinos to undergo training to defend the country.” “Only Filipinos can fight for their country; nobody else can do the fighting for you,” Enrile stressed. False narrative Meanwhile, China was accused of using deception in its sea maneuvers when it tried to block a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal on 7 September. Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, Col. Medel Aguilar, at the weekly Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, said the Philippine Navy offered to help a Chinese rubber boat in distress near Ayungin Shoal. “Our troops offered assistance, but the Chinese refused and another boat came to their rescue,” Aguilar said. He said one of the Chinese rigid hull inflatable boats had gotten entangled in a fishing line while it was tailing the Philippine vessels heading to Ayungin to resupply the troops there. Aguilar said that while the Chinese boat’s refusal to accept aid from Philippine forces was expected, what surprised the troops was Beijing’s radio call where they blamed the Filipinos for the incident. “They had the guts to challenge our radio message. ‘Philippine Coast Guard, because of your maneuvers, the Chinese Coast Guard vessel came into problem,’” he quoted the Chinese as saying. Aguilar said this was another narrative the Chinese would tell their people. “After this incident, they will come up with their narrative to tell their people about what happened,” Aguilar said. “We don’t want the truth to be drowned out by what really happened,” he added. Misplaced bullying Aguilar described the China Coast Guard’s behavior as “misplaced bullying” amid its continued aggression in Philippine territorial waters. “The CCG is a misplaced bully in the WPS,” Aguilar said. Meanwhile, Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson, said several CCG ships and maritime militia vessels tried to block the Philippine vessels and stop the resupply mission. “It is very important for the government, for us, to be more transparent about what is happening in the West Philippine Sea,” he said. “We face the media; we give them the true story. The media will play a very important role in curtailing this fake news that spreads every time the Chinese release their narratives.” He said China has been pushing the narrative that the Philippines is acting on behalf of the United States. Ayungin Shoal, which is part of the Kalayaan island group, is an integral part of the Philippines and is well within its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, over which the country has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction. The BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded on Ayungin Shoal since 1999, where it stands as a symbol of Philippine sovereignty and on which a dozen Filipino Marines and sailors are holding the fort. The post On WPS conflict, ‘Trillanes cut deals’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
What’s in a dash?
China last week released a new map that expanded its original 9-dash line territorial claim in the South China Sea with the addition of a 10th dash east of Taiwan. That move by Beijing drew strong condemnation from the Philippines, Malaysia and India, and a statement of concern from the United States. Other nations, especially those with overlapping claims in the South China Sea, can be expected to also vigorously oppose Beijing’s new map which was built on the original claim it first floated in the 1940s. While the Philippines resoundingly won its case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague with a final ruling in 2016, Beijing has refused to be bound by it and now mocks the same with a 10-dash line map. Just to recap, the arbitral court recognized the Philippines’ maritime entitlement in the West Philippine Sea, which overlaps with the South China Sea. At the same time, it declared China’s sovereign claim over nearly the entire SCS legally and historically baseless. The addition of the 10th dash east of Taiwan is troubling because it may be used by Beijing to lay claim to the Pratas Islands, which are claimed not only by Taiwan but also by Vietnam. Located in the northern part of the South China Sea, the Pratas Islands are strategically important because from there one may control access to the Taiwan Strait. Geopolitical experts are warning that China’s new map may be preparatory to Beijing building military bases in the Pratas as it has done in the Mischief, Gaven, Hughes and Cuarteron reefs, just to name a few. Beijing’s control of passage in and out of the Taiwan Strait is simply inconceivable and unacceptable. Without a doubt, the Taiwan Strait is a vital commercial waterway that connects the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with an estimated half a million ships passing through it each year. The strait is critical for trade between China, Japan, South Korea, and the US. It is also a major oil and gas shipping route from the Middle East to East Asia. The numbers should give us an idea why China’s 10th dash is being pilloried by nations as inconsistent with international law that guarantees the freedom of navigation. An estimate had put the value of goods transported through the Taiwan Strait at $1.5 trillion in 2022, making it the world’s third busiest strait, after the Strait of Hormuz and the Malacca Strait. China, of course, claims Taiwan as its territory and, in fact, its President, Xi Jinping, has vowed to retake it by force if it comes to that. China has claimed the strait as its internal waters, but the US does not recognize that claim. One possibility looms large on the horizon: That China will use the 10-dash line claim to justify its continued militarization of the South China Sea, leading to heightened tension between it and the rest of the world that fears unwarranted control by Beijing of the Taiwan Strait. It has to be emphasized that both the 9-dash line and 10-dash line claims of China have not been recognized by international law. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, which is the main international treaty governing the use of the oceans, does not recognize any country’s right to claim territorial waters beyond its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. As China has yet to formally adopt the 10-dash line, however, there’s a need to review how the arbitral court had ruled in favor of the Philippines in 2016 based on three main findings: First, China has not historically exercised exclusive control over the waters within the nine-dash line; second, the line cannot be considered a valid maritime boundary; and third, China’s actions in the South China Sea, including its land reclamation activities, have violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights and its exclusive economic zone. While Beijing may choose to ignore the arbitral ruling, it is nonetheless a strong legal opinion on the matter that could embolden other countries to challenge China’s overreach into their respective territories. China’s actions in the South China Sea are a reminder of its growing assertiveness in the region. Beijing has been steadily militarizing its claims in the South China Sea, and it has also been using its economic power to pressure other countries into accepting its claims. The world must stand firm against China’s aggression and make it clear that nations will not tolerate Beijing’s attempts to bully its neighbors or violate international law. The stakes are high in the South China Sea. The region is home to some of the world’s most important shipping lanes, and it is also rich in natural resources. China cannot be allowed to have its way and put the region in a stranglehold. The post What’s in a dash? appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»