It has long been feared that Cambodia’s growing dependence on China – its largest aid donor, investor, and creditor – would lead to a Chinese military presence in the country. According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, those fears are now coming true.Like a gambler reliant on a loan shark, Cambodia has, in recent years, racked up massive, opaque debts to China, which it cannot repay.
China urged non-Asian nations to avoid sowing "distrust" and division over contested seas Wednesday in a swipe at the United States (US) shortly before its top diplomat was due to arrive at a Bangkok summit bearing a message of reinvigorated American trade and security engagement in the region. The big power rivalry, framed by a trade war that has withered global growth, has dominated the summit of Southeast Asian foreign ministers, which opened Wednesday.Beijing's mil
Cambodia has purchased "tens of thousands" of weapons from China, premier Hun Sen said Monday, providing rare details of arms deals with Beijing just days after denying a secret agreement to allow Chinese warships to use a local naval base.The Wall Street Journal last week reported on a draft deal letting China access Ream base near Sihanoukville to dock warships and store weapons, apparently confirming months of rumours.Cambodia tried to knock down the report on Friday by taking do
The Philippines is aiming to strengthen its claims in the South China Sea by potentially building hotels for tourists on its biggest island in the disputed waterway, officials said Tuesday.Manila has administrative control over Thitu – the second-largest naturally occurring landmass in the Spratly archipelago – and wants to bolster its sovereignty by adding new infrastructure.In doing so it will be following in the footsteps of China, which also stakes ownership claims to the Spratlys – along
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to jail critics if they try to impeach him, as he faces accusations of defending Beijing after a boat crash in the disputed South China Sea.Duterte enjoys firm popular backing but his setting aside of the standoff with China over the resource-rich waterway is criticised as weakness by some in the Philippines.The issue has flared up since a Chinese fishing trawler hit and sank a Filipino boat on 9 June near Reed Bank, an area that is within M
The United States (US)-China trade war and the stalled negotiations for trade pacts and maritime guidelines were among the main issues at last week’s 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, highlighting the region’s concerns over growing geopolitical and trade tensions.Global trade is facing uncertainties after the US and China embarked on a see-saw of tariffs last year, with Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte calling for the two economic superpowers to “resolve their differences before the situation s
Southeast Asian leaders will dissect the impact of the United States (US)-China tariff war this weekend at a Bangkok summit, with Beijing determined to drive forward a trade pact sweeping in 40 percent of global commerce – but excluding America.Disputes in the flashpoint South China Sea and Myanmar's treatment of Rohingya Muslims are also likely to make the agenda at the two-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting starting Saturday in the Thai capital. But com
The Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest against China after it said the crew of a Chinese fishing boat sank a Filipino vessel carrying 22 fishermen in the South China Sea (SCS), potentially inflaming a dispute calmed by warm ties between the nations’ leaders.Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said on his personal Twitter account Thursday he had “fired off a diplomatic protest yesterday” on the incident, which he said in another tweet he’d call a "hit and run."President
The United States (US) warned China on Saturday against threatening its neighbours' sovereignty and said Washington is investing in new military technology to defend its Asian allies.Washington and Beijing have been vying for influence in the region, which hosts potential flashpoints such as the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait.Ties between the two powers are once again taking centre stage at the weekend Singapore conference known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, wh
Beijing warned Friday that the United States (US) should not underestimate China's military as the top defence officials from both countries met on the side-lines of a security forum.As Beijing and Washington vie for influence in a region hosting potential flashpoints such as the South China Sea, Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait, acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan met Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe for 20 minutes Friday.Chinese defence ministry spokesman Wu Q
The United States (US) is projecting “strategic confusion” in the South China Sea, the Philippines’ top diplomat said, prompting the Southeast Asian nation to deepen its ties with China.President Rodrigo Duterte prefers China’s offer of loans and investments in the absence of a clearer stance from the US in the disputed sea amid growing rivalry between the two nations, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said."China’s offer of a strategic partnership is a bit more attract
Indonesia has accused the Vietnamese coastguard of ramming one of its vessels to block the interception of a boat fishing illegally, as a senior minister announced a return to sinking foreign trawlers.The clash in the South China Sea at the weekend saw Jakarta summon Vietnam's ambassador on Monday, after the navy detained a dozen Vietnamese fishermen."The actions taken by the Vietnamese coast guard ship endangered the lives of officers from both countries and is not in accordance wi
