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US Bolstering Philippines Amid Increasing Assertiveness by China
washington - The U.S. and Philippines will for the first time venture outside Manila's territorial waters when they begin joint annual combat drills in April, a Philippines government spokesman said Thursday.Colonel Michael Logico said elements of the Balikatan 2024 drills would be conducted about 22 kilometers (more than 12 nautical miles) off the west coast of Palawan, an island in the archipelago nation that.....»»
China urges Philippines not to play with fire on Taiwan question
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday urged the Philippines not to "play with fire" on the Taiwan question. According to reports, the Philippines' defense chief has ordered the military to boost the number of troops and structures on the Batanes islands which are less than 200 km from China's Taiwan region. In response at a daily press briefing, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Minis.....»»
China urges Philippines not to play with fire on Taiwan question
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday urged the Philippines not to "play with fire" on the Taiwan question. According to reports, the Philippines' defense chief has ordered the military to boost the number of troops and structures on the Batanes islands which are less than 200 km from China's Taiwan region. In response at a daily press briefing, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Minis.....»»
Serious gaffe
An irate China has dared to wag its finger on our foreign policy chief architect......»»
Philippines to improve 9 of its islands in South China Sea
MANILA, The Philippines: The Philippines is set to enhance the habitability of islands it considers part of its territory in the South China Sea, according to Romeo Brawner, Manila's military chief. These plans are unfolding amid escalating tensions between the Philippines and China, as both nations claim South China Sea territory and have accused each other of provocative actions in the region. Apart fr.....»»
Philippines to enhance habitability of its islands in South China Sea
MANILA, The Philippines: The Philippines is set to enhance the habitability of islands it considers part of its territory in the South China Sea, according to Romeo Brawner, Manila's military chief. These plans are unfolding amid escalating tensions between the Philippines and China, as both nations claim South China Sea territory and have accused each other of provocative actions in the region. Apart fr.....»»
Defense chief Teodoro calls out China for ‘insulting’ Marcos | The wRap
The wRap's highlights: Philippines-China relations, Rewind film, Samsung S24.....»»
A new int’l gateway up soon
“This will likewise ensure unhampered data connectivity via the Eastern Seaboard away from the highly contested South China Sea,” the DICT chief cited......»»
Defense chief rebukes China, says no country has condemned the Philippines over SCS
"And no country in the world, none, to this type has condemned the Philippines in what it's doing. That is the best proof of what I said," Teodoro added......»»
Amid underlying tensions, Xi pushes for more trust with Vietnam
Hanoi [Vietnam], December 13 (ANI): Barely months after Hanoi improved ties with Washington, China and Vietnam, two ancient foes with long-standing disputes over competing claims in the South China Sea, decided on Tuesday to hold discussions on collaborations between them, according to CNN. Chinese state media hailed a "new positioning of relations" between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Vietnamese Communist Party chief Ng.....»»
Amid underlying tensions, Xi pushes for more trust with Vietnam
Hanoi [Vietnam], December 13 (ANI): Barely months after Hanoi improved ties with Washington, China and Vietnam, two ancient foes with long-standing disputes over competing claims in the South China Sea, decided on Tuesday to hold discussions on collaborations between them, according to CNN. Chinese state media hailed a "new positioning of relations" between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Vietnamese Communist Party chief Ng.....»»
IN PHOTOS: AFP chief Brawner visits the BRP Sierra Madre
The AFP chief witnesses firsthand harassment from the China Coast Guard.....»»
Countries queue for joint Phl patrols
The Philippines is considering multilateral patrols with other nations by next year, aside from the country’s maritime cooperative activities with the United States and Australia, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said Monday. But even without its allies, Brawner said the Philippines will continue its unilateral maritime and air patrol in its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea amid China’s encroachment “as it is our responsibility.” “But the joint maritime and air patrols with our allies and our partners will continue, we just don’t know for now how frequent they will be and also maybe the extent of our patrols, but we are working on that. We are constantly talking to our allies and partners,” he said. Brawner said many countries have signified an interest in conducting joint patrols with the Philippines. “They are also very much willing to conduct and to continue conducting this joint maritime and air patrols with the US in the West Philippine Sea,” he noted. “Aside from the bilateral joint exercises and joint operations that we are doing, there are also some countries who are expressing their desire to conduct this joint maritime and air patrols not just bilaterally but multilaterally,” he added. Brawner said they have yet to start the planning and preparation for the multilateral patrols. The safety of all patrol participants is a top concern, he added. The Philippines last week held joint MAC patrols with the United States and Australia, with Chinese military assets constantly shadowing the allies, whether on air or sea. The AFP chief said China’s activities during the MCAs were as expected. “I don’t think it was unusual, in fact, it happened this year, in May of this year, when US aircraft were flying over the South China Sea and they also encountered Chinese PLA (People’s Liberation Army) aircraft circling them so this is not the first time this happened,” said Brawner. He cited the US-PLA encounter in relation to Sunday’s incident in which two Chinese fighter jets not only shadowed but encircled two Philippine Air Force turboprop Super Tucano planes. Despite the harassment of the Tucanos, Brawner described the joint Philippines and Australia patrol as a “very successful event” as the AFP was able “to achieve the set objectives” for the joint activity. For his part, Defense Chief Gilberto Teodoro Jr. confirmed the country’s possible iterations of the MCA with other nations. “All iterations are possible with friendly and allied nations, that’s within the multilateral relations that we discussed earlier,” he said. By doing so, Teodoro said, these multilateral activities are part “of the acceptance of the righteousness of our country’s position.”.....»»
Chinese jets shadow Philippine aircraft in West Philippine Sea
Aircraft from China’s People’s Liberation Army shadowed Philippine aircraft that participated in the joint Philippine-Australia drills in the West Philippine Sea over the weekend, according to Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr......»»
Steven Tan named Winshang’s International Influential Person in Shopping Centers
SM Supermalls president Steven Tan was recognized as one of Winshang’s Golden Censer Prize winners for being “The International Influential Person of the Year 2023 in Shopping Centers” at the 2023 China (International) Shopping Center Summit in Shanghai on 24 August. The Golden Censer Prize is a large-scale professional recognition of China’s commercial real estate and famous brands initiated by Winshang, in collaboration with mainstream industrial media, based on field research, data analysis, and media surveys among others. Tan, who assumed the role of president of SM Supermalls in 2020, has been a key figure in the growth and innovation of the mall chain in the Philippines and China. Retail legacy As President, he oversees mall operations in both countries, carrying forward SM’s 65-year legacy of retail innovation and outstanding customer service. Under his leadership, SM Supermalls withstood the challenges of the pandemic and rebounded as the economy slowly opened up amid the global health crisis. With the guidance of the Sy family, Tan made sure that SM responded with an agile, innovative, and proactive approach to cater to the needs of all stakeholders, from employees and tenants to shoppers. Mall’s strategies The mall’s strategies — adapting the tenancy mix, creating novel reasons to attract visitors to malls, targeting new customer segments through innovative marketing, and developing omnichannel services — enabled them to gain the trust and loyalty of modern shoppers during the pandemic. Because of this, SM managed to recover and exceed pre-pandemic revenues and income by 2023. In line with its latest expansion program, SM continues to open new malls in China and the Philippines. This brings the total number of shopping centers, locally and internationally, under Tan’s stewardship to 93, featuring a cumulative construction area of over 10.8 million square meters and a daily foot traffic of more than 4.2 million. The latest SM malls to open are SM City Yangzhou last 28 September 2023 (left) and SM City Sto. Tomas, Batangas last 27 October 2023 (right). The latest malls to open were SM City Yangzhou last 28 September 2023 and SM City Sto. Tomas, Batangas last 27 October 2023. Numerous accolades Tan’s exceptional efforts were also honored by various international organizations over the years. He received numerous accolades including the 2021 Asia’s Most Influential by Tatler Asia, the 2022 Asia Pacific Women’s Empowerment Principles Awards Leadership Commitment by United Nations Women, and the Global Filipino Executive of the Year at the Asian Chief Executive Officer Awards just to name a few. His dedication and visionary leadership continue to shape the landscape of shopping centers and commercial real estate, not just in Asia but across the globe. The post Steven Tan named Winshang’s International Influential Person in Shopping Centers appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
National security chief to back TikTok ban if proven for cyber espionage use
National Security Adviser and concurrent National Security Council Director General Eduardo Año will not hesitate to recommend the banning of video-sharing app TikTok in the Philippines if proven that it is being used by China for cyber espionage......»»
SM’s Steven Tan named Winshang’s 2023 International Influential Person in Shopping Centers
SM Supermalls president Steven Tan was recognized as one of Winshang’s Golden Censer Prize winners for being "The International Influential Person of the Year 2023 in Shopping Centers" at the 2023 China (International) Shopping Center Summit in Shanghai on 24 August 2023. The Golden Censer Prize is a large-scale professional recognition of China's commercial real estate and famous brands initiated by Winshang, in collaboration with mainstream industrial media, based on field research, data analysis and media surveys, among others. Tan, who assumed the role of President of SM Supermalls in 2020, has been a key figure in the growth and innovation of the mall chain in the Philippines and China. As president, he oversees mall operations in both countries, carrying forward SM's 65-year legacy of retail innovation and outstanding customer service. SM Mall of Asia Complex Under his leadership, SM Supermalls withstood the challenges of the pandemic and rebounded as the economy slowly opened up amid the global health crisis. With the guidance of the Sy family, Tan made sure that SM responded with an agile, innovative and proactive approach to cater to the needs of all stakeholders, from employees and tenants to shoppers. SM City Yangzhou SM City Sto. Tomas The mall’s strategies -- adapting the tenancy mix, creating novel reasons to attract visitors to malls, targeting new customer segments through innovative marketing and developing omnichannel services -- enabled them to gain the trust and loyalty of modern shoppers during the pandemic. Because of this, SM managed to recover and exceed pre-pandemic revenues and income by 2023. In line with their latest expansion program, SM continues to open new malls in China and the Philippines. This brings the total number of shopping centers, locally and internationally, under Tan's stewardship to 93, featuring a cumulative construction area of over 10.8 million square meters and a daily foot traffic of more than 4.2 million. The latest malls to open were SM City Yangzhou last 28 September 2023 and SM City Sto Tomas, Batangas last 27 October 2023. Tan’s exceptional efforts were also honored by various international organizations over the years. He received numerous accolades including the 2021 Asia's Most Influential by Tatler Asia, the 2022 Asia Pacific Women's Empowerment Principles Awards Leadership Commitment by United Nations Women, and the Global Filipino Executive of the Year at the Asian Chief Executive Officer Awards, just to name a few. His dedication and visionary leadership continue to shape the landscape of shopping centers and commercial real estate, not just in Asia but also across the globe. Steven Tan receives the 2023 PeopleAsia People of the Year Award. Tan shared the Winshang Golden Censer Prize with his two co-awardees, namely Powerlong Real Estate Holding’s Co-president Chen Deli, and SCE Commercial Management Holdings' chairman of the board Huang Lun. SM Supermalls is a subsidiary of SM Prime Holdings Inc., with 85 malls in the Philippines and 8 in China. The post SM’s Steven Tan named Winshang’s 2023 International Influential Person in Shopping Centers appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Phl looking for railways funds
The Philippines will have to find other funding sources to bankroll big-ticket transport infrastructure projects after the Department of Transportation or DoTr decided to drop China as its partner for the Mindanao Railway Project. Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista on Thursday confirmed the DoTr is currently “looking for other lending sources.” “We will look for another funding source. We are working on that now,” Bautista said on the sidelines of the German–Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry luncheon meeting. The transport chief said three DoTr projects – the South Long Haul Project, Mindanao Railway Project, and Subic-Clark Railway—were dropped as Chinese Official Development Assistance projects or ODA as the latter’s interest had “waned.” “Those are what we are going to look for additional funding or replacement for,” he said in English and Filipino, adding that the DoTr has requested assistance from the Department of Finance. Bautista said he was unfazed as other funding sources are available, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. “Our options are we can still go for other ODA. There’s the JICA, the ADB, the World Bank,” he said. “There are other governments talking to us on the possibility of financing these projects,” he added. The post Phl looking for railways funds appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Chip maker Intel beats earnings expectations as it pursues rivals
US chip giant Intel on Thursday said it made more money than expected in the recently ended quarter as it continued to invest in a "geographically balanced" supply chain. Intel shares jumped more than 7 percent to $34.88 in after-market trades. "We delivered a standout third quarter, underscored by across-the-board progress on our process and product roadmaps; agreements with new foundry customers, and momentum as we bring AI everywhere," said Intel chief executive Pat Gelsinger. Intel reported revenue of $14.2 billion, which was 8 percent less than the amount seen in the same quarter a year earlier but ahead of forecasts. Net income tallied $300 million, compared with $1 billion profit in the same period in 2022, earnings figures showed. "Our results exceeded expectations," said Intel chief financial officer David Zinsner, who said earnings benefited from "expense discipline." Intel has been working to catch up with rivals, especially Nvidia, when it comes to powerful chips needed to handle the computing demands of artificial intelligence. Intel touted investments being made in chip production facilities with an aim of creating a "geographically balanced, secure, resilient supply chain." California-based Intel is seen as a key tool for the United States to reduce its dependence on major global producers, such as Taiwan's TSMC. Earlier this year, Intel announced it would spend $25 billion on a new plant in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it the country's single largest foreign investment. The "agreement in principle" would see the semiconductor firm build the facility in the southern city of Kiryat Gat that would open by 2027 and operate at least until 2035, Israel's finance ministry said. Intel has been operating in Israel since the 1970s with development centers and a production site that employs some 12,000 people, the finance ministry said. In 2017, Intel acquired Israel-based Mobileye, which makes technology for automated driving systems in vehicles, for just over $15 billion. Gelsinger said Intel teams have kept operations going despite the war between Israel and Hamas. "Our utmost priority is the safety and welfare of our people in Israel and their families," Gelsinger said. "Despite all of these challenges, they're performing extremely well. I am praying for a swift return to peace." China Gelsinger said Intel was carefully studying updated rules in the United States that tighten curbs on exports of state-of-the-art AI chips to China. "We do believe that we'll have plenty of opportunity in China," Gelsinger said. "We are continuing to deploy our products there broadly, even as we comply and work with (the United States) around the regulations that they're putting in place." The new rules tighten measures from a year ago that banned the sale to China of microchips crucial to manufacturing powerful AI systems. Calls to further close the supply chain grew after the popularity of generative AI platform ChatGPT. When announcing the beefed-up curbs, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo insisted they were intended to close loopholes and prevent China's development of AI for military use. "It's true that AI has the potential for huge societal benefit. But it also can do tremendous and profound harm if it's in the wrong hands and in the wrong militaries," she told US media. The rules will not affect chips used in consumer goods such as laptops, smartphones, and gaming consoles, though some will be subject to export licensing requirements. China has said it is "strongly dissatisfied" and "firmly opposes" the curbs. "The US continues to generalize the concept of national security, abuse export control measures, and implement unilateral bullying," the commerce ministry said in a statement. The post Chip maker Intel beats earnings expectations as it pursues rivals appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
China lodges protest against Philippine vessels trespassing Ren ai Jiao
The Chinese embassy in Manila on Monday lodged a stern protest against Philippine vessels trespassing Ren'ai Jiao on Sunday, urging the Philippines to tow away the illegally grounded warship in the South China Sea. China once again called on the Philippines to stop stirring up trouble in the sea and groundlessly attacking and slandering China, Zhou Zhiyong, Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor of the C.....»»