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Laura Zhou

The Philippine Navy said it would, for the first time, send a vessel to a fleet review hosted by the PLA Navy as tensions between rival claimants to territory in the South China Sea eased.
Philippine Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad was quoted by the news portal the Inquirer as saying that plans to send a ship to China for an event that marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of Chinese navy were in hand.
Aquino slams SCS resource-sharing deal with Beijing
The Philippines – which successfully challenged Beijing’s territorial assertiveness in the South China Sea in a landmark arbitration ruling in 2016 – would be responsible for a first if it joined the fleet review which is scheduled for the coastal city of Qingdao, eastern Shandong province, on April 23.


“It was most educational,” Delfin Lorenzana, Philippine National Defence Secretary, said on a Sunday tour of the guided-missile frigate Wuhu, one of three Chinese warships on a five-day visit to the Philippines.
“They came in friendship, and the least we can do is offer them our vaunted hospitality. We, too, shall be sending some of our ships to visit China within the year.”
Philippine defence chief urges review of security treaty with US
Sending ships would be part of the “confidence-building activities” for both countries, Lorenzana told local media.

The Chinese vessels concluded their visit and left Manila on Monday morning.
Can a code of conduct really ensure stability in South China Sea?
The flotilla, which comprised the frigates Wuhu and Handan and supply ship Dongpinghu, arrived in Manila on Thursday after completing counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off the Horn of Africa.


A Chinese military analyst said a Philippine naval emissary at Qingdao could improve relations as China seeks to establish a code of conduct for the South China Sea, a resource-rich waterway now has become a major flashpoint after the United States and its allies including Britain, France and Australia sent in warships as part of freedom of navigation operations, triggering opposition from Beijing.
South China Sea clash is biggest worry for Philippine firms
“Cordial relations with China have played a big role in Philippine’s anti-terrorism and anti-drugs campaign as well as in its economic development,” Song Zhongping, a military commentator in Hong Kong, said. “From a practical perspective, it would also be beneficial to stability in the South China Sea.

“Normal military relations between China and the Philippines would also be positive for future negotiations of the code of conduct, and this is also what China would like to see,” Song said.
Despite some antagonisms, Beijing has courted the Philippines over the past year, with Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting Manila in November to pledge billions in trade and investment deals that critics said could shift Manila’s position on territories in the South China Sea.


Filipino farmer pleads ‘Stop US-Iran War’ after soaring fuel prices wipe out earnings

Why revived China-Philippine talks won’t lead to energy cooperation in the South China Sea

Philippine oil refiner Petron buys Russian crude, seeks alternatives

Iran has shown the West’s containment of China is a fool’s errand

The Philippines

Philippines bridges troubled South China Sea waters by sending first ship to join PLA Navy fleet review

A welcome of Philippine and Chinese flags met the PLA Navy missile frigate Handan as it put in at Manila last week. Photo: AP

Philippine Navy chief Robert Empedrad

Chinese Navy Rear Admiral Xu Haihua, center, Commander of Chinese Naval Task Force and Commander of the 30th fleet of Chinese Navy escort, receives a lei from a Philippine Navy officer as "Wuhu," a Type 054A guided missile frigate, docks at Manila's South Harbor for a four-day port call Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019 in Manila, Philippines. Two other ships from the Chinese Naval Task Group "Handan," also a guided missile frigate and Dongpinghu, a replenishment or supply ship, arrived with "Wuhu" in the second such visit of a China People's Liberation Army Navy or PLAN, under President Rodrigo Duterte's administration. The visit comes a few days after U.S. and British warships conducted its first joint naval exercises near the contested Spratlys Group of islands in the South China Sea. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Risk of US-China clash in South China Sea worries Philippine firms more than trade war

epa07209255 Filipino children beg for money at a street in Manila, Philippines, 05 December 2018. According to a new study by the Philippine Institute Development Studies (PIDS), inflation and natural disasters threaten to sink more Filipino households into poverty if the government fails to implement needed interventions. PIDS researchers said the government's scope for poverty assessment needs to be broadened so that programs can both pull the poor out of poverty and protect the vulnerable population from sinking into poverty. EPA-EFE/FRANCIS R. MALASIG

epa07092503 A view of Manila's skyline is seen from Antipolo city, Philippines, 14 October 2018. According to latest figures released by the Central Bank of the Philippines, the country's economy remains resilient despite the range of global economic challenges impacting the region, including rising oil prices, inflation and pressure on emerging markets' currencies. Inflation in September climbed to 6.7 percent from 6.4 percent in August, putting the average in the first nine months to 5 percent, above the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent, Central Bank of the Philippines Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said. EPA-EFE/FRANCIS R. MALASIG

(181106) -- QUEZON CITY, Nov. 6, 2018 (Xinhua) -- A customer buys fish in a market in Quezon City, the Philippines, Nov. 6, 2018. Headline inflation in the Philippines steadied at 6.7 percent in October, 2018, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)(dh)

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a working dinner after the G20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 1, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

(181120) -- MANILA, Nov. 20, 2018 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte head for the main building of the presidential palace after a welcome ceremony in Manila, the Philippines, Nov. 20, 2018. Xi attended the welcome ceremony held by Duterte before their talks on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)(mcg)

President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump agreed to a 90-day moratorium on new tariff increases at a meeting after the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. Photo: Kyodo

News

China

Diplomacy

Philippine defence secretary says Manila will join Beijing’s ‘confidence building’
Analyst says move calms choppy waters of South China Sea dispute


Philippine defence secretary says Manila will join Beijing’s ‘confidence building’ operations, while analyst expects move to calm South China Sea dispute.


South China Sea

China’s military

Philippines bridges troubled South China Sea waters by sending first ship to join PLA Navy fleet review

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Philippine defence secretary says Manila will join Beijing’s ‘confidence building’ Analyst says move calms choppy waters of South China Sea dispute

Philippine defence secretary says Manila will join Beijing’s ‘confidence building’

Analyst says move calms choppy waters of South China Sea dispute