Beijing, Philippines spar over South China Sea claims during Munich conference
While Russia's war against Ukraine and a wavering transatlantic alliance drew the world's attention at this year's Munich Security Conference, sparks also flew over claims in the South China Sea as debate involving participants representing Beijing and Manila dug into their positions in the region.
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China's former deputy foreign minister Fu Ying said in a panel discussion, titled 'Making Waves: Maritime Tensions in the Indo-Pacific', that Beijing would not accept occupation by the Philippines of new features that the Southeast Asian country has constructed in the South China Sea. Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo was part of the panel.
'China cannot agree for the Philippines to occupy Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal, because that is a violation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,' Fu said, referring to a non-binding document signed by Beijing and Asean countries.
Fu insisted that the document's language – in particular, a pledge to 'not to make more moves' – was watered down at Manila's request to entice the country to sign.
The declaration asks signatories to exercise 'self-restraint' when conducting activities that would 'complicate or escalate disputes', and refrain from building on the sea's uninhabited features.
The presence of a dilapidated but still active Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre at the Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) in the South China Sea has been denounced as unacceptable by Beijing. Photo: AP
Further actions by Manila, including construction efforts to reinforce the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era tank landing ship
deliberately positioned on the Second Thomas Shoal in 1999, have been denounced by Beijing as unacceptable.
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Asia Times
16 hours ago
- Asia Times
The tiny Philippine island denying and defying China at sea
LIKAS ISLAND – Philippine Marine Private John Lloyd Lobendino scanned the deep blue waters surrounding Likas, a tiny speck of an island in the West Philippines Sea, while rubber boats carrying visitors from the BRP Andres Bonifacio landed on the pristine beach. While other 21-year-olds are busy with other young adult pursuits, Lobendino went about his task with a seriousness normally associated with veterans who have seen terrible wars waged and blood spilled in the name of national patrimony. Like many of his fellow soldiers assigned to this remote and lonely outpost, Lobendino says he is willing to fight to the end. 'Because this is ours,' he said quietly when asked by Asia Times, which joined a recent maritime patrol operation in the South China Sea to check on the area ahead of the Philippines' Independence Day this week (June 12) He was accompanied by a fellow marine who was also in his 20s. He wore a pair of shades to protect his eyes from the sun's glare that intensely reflected the stretch of fine white sand of Likas (West York Island), the second-largest of the nine Philippine-controlled features in the disputed Spratly island chain. The military took journalists for the first time in patrolling the West Philippine Sea, the name the Southeast Asian country uses to refer to areas in the South China Sea that are within its jurisdiction. A crew member aboard the Philippine Navy's BRP Andres Bonifacio scans the horizon as the ship embarks on a maritime patrol of Manila-controlled areas in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) on June 5, 2025. Picture: Jason Gutierrez Regularly, troops among the claimants are often in the background, preferring their respective coast guards – which are technically civilian in nature – to patrol the disputed sea lest a sudden miscalculation triggers outright hostility. But the mission is meant to assert the Philippines' sovereignty and sovereign rights over the waters amid an increasingly assertive China that rejected a 2016 arbitral ruling by an international court in The Hague, which invalidated Beijing's expansive nine-dash line claims in the region. That case was brought by the Philippines, a long-time military ally of the United States and the most vocal Southeast Asian region that has stood up to China in the contested maritime area. The patrol is part of the government's 'transparency initiative' to show the public that the distant shores are vital to the country's interests. Visitors to the island are greeted by weather-beaten green signage that welcomes them to the naval detachment. In the postcard-perfect background, a Philippine flag flutters in the gentle wind. Written on a fading-green board is a reminder of PD 1596, a presidential decree signed in 1978 that formally recognized Likas as part of the Kalayaan island group in the country's map. The 18-hectare island is home to a rotating number of Marines tasked with guarding the paradise island in the middle of the ocean and watched by the People's Liberation Army Navy forces backed by their coast guard and a fleet of militia vessels posing as fishermen. Last year, a Filipino soldier was wounded when China Coast Guard men armed with pikes and machetes violently seized firearms from Filipino supply boats near the Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal, called Ren'ai Jiao by Beijing, in another part of the disputed sea. An armed soldier guards the coast of Pag-Asa Island in the West Philippine Sea. Picture: Jason Gutierrez The United States has repeatedly said it is prepared to step in if Manila invoked a 1951 treaty that calls on both sides to defend each other in times of outside aggression, a scenario that could trigger a larger conflict. For now, cooler heads are prevailing despite China's provocations. For corpsman Ibasco, who was recently transferred to the Likas detachment, there was no time to think before he shipped out from home. 'To us, it is a privilege to serve,' said Ibasco, who did not want to give out his first name citing the sensitivity of his post. He said he took his mission to heart, though time can be an adversary. To break the monotony, he swims in the morning and catches fish 'because our provisions are all preserved food.' While a satellite connection allows him to connect with his wife and young daughter at times, much of his free time is spent on self-reflection. Veteran combatant Technical Sergeant Nino Calbog, who has seen action in the strife-torn southern Philippine region against homegrown insurgents, said it was an honor to be on the ground protecting the country from foreign aggressors. A father of two, he said his service is for the country and family. 'I always tell them that my job as a soldier is for them. It is difficult for a soldier to be away from family, but my wife is there explaining to them why I need to be away for three months,' he said. There is an improvised basketball court, where the men shoot hoops beside a garden patch, while two goats roam in the back. They can be slaughtered for food but are considered more like pets. Philippine soldiers hooping in their spare time on the island, June 5, 2025. Photo: Jason Gutierrez Power is provided by a generator and solar generators, although it can be pitch black at night here. Drinking water, however, is shipped on regular resupply missions or is collected through rainfall. 'Our flag is always waving because this island is ours,' said Naval Task Force 42 chief Colonel Joel Bonavente. 'It symbolizes that our troops are here to always guard and defend our territory in the West Philippine Sea.' Isolation, he said, could be the biggest enemy for some, but assured that 'the attitude of our soldiers is well adjusted.' 'They are well-motivated and stand ready to defend our territory,' Bonavente said, adding that protocol requires them to challenge anyone who is passing by nearby. Plans to upgrade the 'hospitability of our patrol base' are in the pipeline, he said. Filipino maritime expert Chester Cabalza said frequent military patrols were necessary to further the country's win in the legal battle in the face of the arbitral ruling that China continues to ignore. 'Frequent maritime patrols exercise our right to use, possess and control all resources in the shoal,' he told Asia Times. 'It also increases familiarity to the maritime domain as a means of readiness to the potential disputes amid flashpoints in the contested islands.' More importantly, Cabalza notes, it ensures that military forces are prepared against all 'unauthorized access that would lead to annexation.' 'The government must fulfill its aspiration of a self-reliant defense posture to sustain its massive military and coast guard operations,' he said, pointing out that Japan has also recently ratified a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) that allows its troops to participate in joint drills with the Philippines, similar to the Americans. 'Beijing will feel a pinch of insecurity in view of this because they view the RAA as an impediment to their bigger goals in securing the entirety of the South China Sea,' he asserted. Jason Gutierrez was head of Philippine news at BenarNews, an online news service affiliated with Radio Free Asia (RFA), a Washington-based news organization that covered many under-reported countries in the region. A veteran foreign correspondent, he has also worked with The New York Times and Agence France-Presse (AFP).
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- South China Morning Post
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HKFP
3 days ago
- HKFP
‘Freer country': Gay Chinese couple fulfil wedding dream in Thailand
When Wang Zengyi, 41, and Song Jihan, 29, first met at a friend's dinner party in China, it was love at first sight. 'I thought he was handsome and pure,' says Wang. 'Our love has deepened over time.' Nearly three years later, the gay Chinese couple are getting married in Thailand, which became Asia's largest nation to legalise same-sex marriage earlier this year -– including for foreign couples. They are among the first Chinese LGBTQ pairs to tie the knot in the Southeast Asian country as it celebrates its first Pride since the law's passage. 'Thailand is a freer country,' said Wang after they signed their marriage certificate at a Bangkok registry office. 'It's also more inclusive to our community.' He believes they are the first gay Chinese couple to host a full wedding ceremony in Thailand, but that 'gradually' more will follow in their footsteps. 'I think we are unique so far… but I hope we can have a positive influence.' Embed from Getty Images They enlisted the help of an agent and a consultant to organise the wedding and paperwork to finally make their dream come true. Bureaucratic hurdles Chinese authorities decriminalised homosexuality in 1997, but same-sex marriage is not legal and social stigma is widespread. Despite a period of relative relaxation in the 2000s to mid-2010s, rights groups say recent years have seen a crackdown on the community's spaces and freedom of expression. Real estate agent Owen Zhu has a property business in Thailand that also helps gay Chinese couples come to Thailand to get married. Zhu, 40, said that the biggest difficulties couples like Wang and Song face are linked to paperwork, as well as prejudice. It is difficult for Chinese LGBTQ individuals to obtain the certificate of single status required by Thailand proving that they are not married, he told AFP. China also does not recognise same-sex marriages registered abroad. Embed from Getty Images But Zhu believes that despite China's bureaucratic hurdles, there will be a rise in the number of Chinese couples looking to wed and even live long-term in Thailand. 'There is large market demand from many Chinese same-sex couples,' he says. 'Thailand is a particularly tempting place, allowing freedom to do things not possible in China, like holding hands or kissing in public with a partner. In China, they may not dare do such things.' Zhu says the simple act of signing a marriage document is deeply meaningful for his clients. 'Though this piece of paper might not be recognised in China, in their hearts, they see it as recognition and acceptance from the world,' he says. Love ballads, vows More than 30 countries have legalised marriage for all since the Netherlands became the first to allow same-sex unions in 2001. Thailand was the third place in Asia after Taiwan and Nepal. The kingdom ranks high on recent indexes measuring public attitudes towards LGBTQ people, but matching legal structures were absent before it passed the same-sex marriage bill in a historic parliamentary vote last June. Thousands of couples across the kingdom tied the knot in a mass wedding the day same-sex unions became legal in January this year. Embed from Getty Images Chris Yan, a legal consultant who helped Wang and Song navigate Thai administration to formalise their partnership, says the process for foreigners to register their marriage in Thailand is fairly smooth as long as they can provide the necessary documents. 'I believe it is more advanced than many other countries, since the cost in Thailand is quite low,' he says. 'They can stay in the country for longer and processing the documents is quicker.' Surrounded by dozens of close friends and their ring-bearing small fluffy dog, Wang and Song sing love ballads to each other on a sandy Pattaya beach before tearfully reading their wedding vows. Embed from Getty Images They will return home to China after their honeymoon, but hope to eventually retire in Thailand. Life is short, is the message they have for other couples like them. Wang said: 'Be with the one you want to be with.' Original reporting on HKFP is backed by our monthly contributors. Almost 1,000 monthly donors make HKFP possible. Each contributes an average of HK$200/month to support our award-winning original reporting, keeping the city's only independent English-language outlet free-to-access for all. Three reasons to join us: 🔎 Transparent & efficient: As a non-profit, we are externally audited each year, publishing our income/outgoings annually, as the city's most transparent news outlet. 🔒 Accurate & accountable: Our reporting is governed by a comprehensive Ethics Code. We are 100% independent, and not answerable to any tycoon, mainland owners or shareholders. Check out our latest Annual Report, and help support press freedom.
