China, Philippines locked in naval standoff

[uls]

OB yung mga explanation mo puro galing sa imagination

[pop3corn]

OB yung mga explanation mo puro galing sa imagination

*uls "“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand." - Albert Einstein

wala eh tlaga ganun ako wired eh. sometimes I can skip an entire book or any circular or white paper and still I can come with valid arguments kahit first paragraph lang binasa ko. though i'm really proud of this gift bec. somehow I also consider this a curse more than a gift. kasi nga parang nalalaman ko kagad ang motive/interest/takbo ng things and sometimes napapa-sit na lang ako doing nothing.

[Monseratto]

The Del Pilar is no longer at the Shoal. Only a SAR CG ship is watching over the shoal. Ever since the Chinese declared a fishing ban at the area, the standoff no longer makes front page news. Even the BANANA problem is resolved...

MANILA, Philippines --- Malacanang said yesterday that China has allowed the entry of at least 30 containers filled with banana exports as it expressed optimism that there will be more progress on the banana exports being sent to China as phytosanitary issues are already being addressed.

But the rhetoric and posturing still continues...



Beijing warns third parties to stay out_Politics?China Economic Net

As the Philippines seeks to buy weapons abroad amid a diplomatic crisis with China over the two countries' territorial dispute in the South China Sea, Beijing warned on Tuesday that any attempt by a third country to get involved in the territorial dispute over Huangyan Island between Beijing and Manila will only make the situation worse.

On April 10, a Philippine warship harassed 12 Chinese fishing vessels that had sailed near Huangyan Island, which is part of China's territorial waters in the South China Sea, to seek shelter from a storm. The incident later escalated into a month-long dispute between the two countries.

"The Philippine decision to draw a third party into the incident in any way will further escalate the situation and even change the nature of the issue," Hong Lei, foreign ministry spokesman, said at a regular media briefing.

The comments came as the United States is scheduled to deliver a retired Hamilton class cutter to Manila on Tuesday. This will be the second Hamilton class cutter Manila has obtained from the US.

The first one, also retired from the US, arrived in the Philippines last year, giving the Philippine navy its largest and most advanced warship.

Moreover, Philippine President Benigno Aquino told media outlets that Manila intends to buy a batch of jets ranging in price from $4 million to $8 million.

Albert del Rosario, Philippine foreign affairs secretary, said some other countries are helping Manila establish a "minimum credible defense posture" to complement its diplomatic capacity to deal with territorial disputes with China.

Rosario told media on Sunday that at least three nations besides the United States are on the list - Japan, South Korea and Australia.

He said Japan is likely to provide 12 patrol ships, while the Philippines is considering entering into plane deals with South Korea. The Philippines are also likely to obtain some search and rescue ships from Australia and have a large number of military personnel trained there.

A 47-year-old Hamilton class cutter that was purchased last year from the US was sent to arrest the Chinese fishermen involved in the April 10 incident and was confronted by two Chinese maritime patrol ships. It retreated soon and was replaced by patrol boats.

Qu Xing, director of the China Institute of International Studies, said Manila can improve its military by purchasing arms. But its military can by no means be compared with China's, which is also developing.

And with the Philippine economy performing worse since Aquino became president, the country will face rising financial dangers if it spends too much on its military, Qu said.Song Xiaojun, a Beijing-based commentator, said the plan to buy arms shows that the government has more or less been "kidnapped" by the military, which Manila depends on in its fights against anti-government forces.

The Aquino administration has spent $395 million on the country's military since it took office in 2010. In the 15 years up to that, Manila spent $51 million on average, Song said.

"And even the Philippines itself knows there is something wrong in their logic of one hand taking massive preferential loans from China and one hand using that money to buy weapons."

Major General Xu Yan from the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army said in an article published on Monday that China has absolute advantage in air and naval forces over the Philippines.

"Once (the Philippines) dares escalate the movements of maritime police into military operations, it will suffer a great calamity from China's strike in response to their attack."

In the past, it usually took two days for Chinese ships to arrive in the waters around Huangyan Island, but China now has "a large batch" of large and advanced ships that it can use in maritime patrols, Xu wrote.

Xu said the Philippines used to arrest and even shoot at Chinese fishermen who were near the island in the 1990s.

"But those days are gone."

[uls]

yung mga post ni pop3corn puro fantasy

he lives in a world where the Phils. is a superpower pero pa-underdog ang dating

[uls]

alam niyo yung mga may sayad na paulit ulit pinagmamalaki pinoy ang nagimbento ng fluorescent lamp?

ever met people like that?

OB reminds me of those people

[Walter]

alam niyo yung mga may sayad na paulit ulit pinagmamalaki pinoy ang nagimbento ng fluorescent lamp?

ever met people like that?

OB reminds me of those people

Let's not forget the infamous Daniel Dingel.

[Monseratto]

Why do you think OD/JEW/GM/P3C/Bong Buang has been banned so many times?

Obi-Wan: Who's the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?

[uls]

there's only 1 reality and infinite fantasies

reality is often hard to accept. or just plain boring

so people resort to fantasy coz it makes them feel better

it feels good naman talaga believing the Philippines has a "big bro" protector

it feels good believing the Phils. has powerful weapons hidden somewhere

it's all in the mind

[uls]

It can only be afforded by affluent Chinese while a regular Joe/American can afford almost any imported Chinese product.

Americans can buy anything they want coz they have credit. Americans buy everything on credit

China doesnt have the consumer credit system the US has

[pop3corn]

Americans can buy anything they want coz they have credit. Americans buy everything on credit

China doesnt have the consumer credit system the US has

the greatness of every nation or its citizen can be seen with what America has showed to the world after the 2008 global financial meltdown. IF this happens to China, ano kaya ang mangyayari?

[uls]

the greatness of every nation or its citizen can be seen with what America has showed to the world after the 2008 global financial meltdown. IF this happens to China, ano kaya ang mangyayari?

you call that greatness? if they're so great the 2008 financial crisis wouldnt have happened. bigtime kapalpakan yan

lots of people saw it coming but the USG and Fed didnt do anything

they're reactive. not proactive. hanggang ngayon the Fed is still fighting to keep deflation from coming back

[Ry_Tower]

you call that greatness? if they're so great the 2008 financial crisis wouldnt have happened. bigtime kapalpakan yan

lots of people saw it coming but the USG and Fed didnt do anything

they're reactive. not proactive. hanggang ngayon the Fed is still fighting to keep deflation from coming back

And they favor the rich and powerful...

[renzo_d10]

Patuloy na nangingisda ang mga Chinese sa Scarbourough despite the fishing ban.

[Harangody]

Guys tutulong daw mga aswang, dwende at kapre etc. kung sakaling magka-gera.

[uls]

OB believes the myth that the US govt is guardian of democracy and protector of the weak

[ghosthunter]

OB believes the myth that the US govt is guardian of democracy and protector of the weak

When is that movie coming out? hehehe

[chrismarte]

And di lang toys and candy ang ginagawa ng China. Even your precious IPhone and IPad has a "Made in China" label.

Only God made the World and the rest MADE IN CHINA

OB yung mga explanation mo puro galing sa imagination

di sya magiging si OB pag di galing sa ganun ang explanation nya... hehehe


So if ever na maback out ang pinas....at nakuha ng china ang shoal... sa tingin nyo ba mga sir titigil na sila?

[renzo_d10]

Gusto yata ng mga Chinese eh matakot tayo ng sobra sakanila & just give up Scarborough.

[Monseratto]

Manila driven by pursuit of oil, unemployment |Asia-Pacific |chinadaily.com.cn

Manila driven by pursuit of oil, unemployment
Updated: 2012-05-23 07:14

By Zhang Yunbi ( China Daily)

The pursuit of oil, rising jobless rates and the need to cover up domestic public fury are behind Manila's recent territorial claims and its drive for oil drilling in the South China Sea, experts said.

Tensions have been flaring up between Beijing and Manila amid an impasse on China's Huangyan Island as the Philippine government laid a groundless claim over the island and sent a gunboat in early April to harass Chinese fishermen within China's territorial waters off the island.

Media in Manila on Tuesday questioned attempts by some Philippine companies to speed up the joint development of oil and gas in the South China Sea, claiming that the so-called "sovereignty" issue is more important than business interests.

Beijing warned that any unilateral development by the Philippine side will violate China's rights and interests, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, who also urged Manila to show sincerity.

However, the looming fluctuations triggered by Manila in the South China Sea are, to some extent, showing the Philippines' need for energy, said Chen Qinghong, a researcher on Philippine studies with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

"The Philippine economy depends heavily on energy supplies from abroad, and rising oil prices are also prompting major Philippine oil producers to seek more deposits from the waters nearby," said Chen.

The oilfield at Liyue Bank in the South China Sea could hold nearly twice as much gas as the Philippines' largest known deposits, Philex Petroleum said last month.

Some prominent Philippine figures are believed to be connected to the oil companies, and the government has been using the profits from oil for arms purchases, analysts said.

The South China Sea, as the deepest and largest sea of China, boasts abundant natural resources, including 23 to 30 billion tons of oil resources and around 16 trillion cubic meters of natural gas deposit.

In another development, a survey result released on Monday showed that the Philippine jobless rate in the first quarter hit a record high, and President Benigno Aquino is believed to be facing mounting pressure from the public.

The number of jobless adults in the Philippines increased during the first quarter of this year, reaching 34.4 percent, according to a recent survey released by local research institute Social Weather Stations.

It is 10 points higher than the 24 percent recorded in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Yang Baoyun, a professor of Southeast Asia studies at Peking University, said that Aquino has been haunted by the job figures since taking office in June 2010.

"Given the current overall economic situation in the Philippines, Aquino is now having a hard time fulfilling his promises to voters, not to mention the domestic dissatisfaction about corruption and the rebels in the south," said Yang.

Public satisfaction with the performance of the president has also slipped from a "very good" net score of plus-56 in December to a "good" net score of plus-46 in March, according to another recent survey by the institute.

zhangyunbi*chinadaily.com.cn

[pop3corn]

i don't get it. if they are confident with the capability of their army, why do they do they seem irked at us for buying weapons for defense purposes. it's not as if all those ships/planes will be used to attack the Chinese mainland.

the problem with what China is doing to us, is anybody else can do it to us too, like Malaysia/Indonesia from the Southern Mindanao / Sabah. it's a precedent.

it's only natural for us to defend ourselves. wala ba tayo right to do that?