China, Philippines spar over a sandbar in SCS
A tiny sandbar in the disputed South China Sea has become the latest flashpoint in tensions between China and the Philippines, with each side displaying its flag to reinforce competing claims on the island.
Earlier this month, members of the
Chinese Coast Guard
landed on the disputed reef,
Sandy Cay
, unfurled a flag and 'exercised
sovereign jurisdiction
,' Chinese state media reported Thursday. They left the island by Sunday, when the Philippines deployed its own personnel to the sandbar. Hours later, Beijing called the act an 'illegal boarding', saying it had 'indisputable sovereignty' over Spratly Islands, a chain of dozens of slivers of land, including Sandy Cay, in South China Sea, and its surrounding waters.
The standoff comes days after allies the US and the Philippines began their annual joint military drills in the Philippines, which China has criticised as undermining regional stability.
On Monday morning, Jonathan Malaya, assistant director general of the Philippines' national security council, pushed back on China's claim that Beijing had seized the reef and urged it to 'act with restraint and not increase tensions' in South China Sea. 'It is not to the benefit of any nation if these things are happening, nor is it to the benefit of any nation if such irresponsible statements are released.' Beijing claims about 90% of South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
16 minutes ago
- India.com
Trump will be unhappy with this 200 number as India makes things easier for China, takes this big step to...
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has invited trouble without any effort. His move to put pressure on India seems to be backfiring. The whole game has suddenly changed with India and China coming closer in the tariff war. Now India has done something that can hurt Trump a lot. The government is making it easier for China to invest money in India. This is a big sign of improvement in the relations between the two countries. All this is happening at a time when Trump has imposed an additional tariff of 25% on India. This will increase the tariff on Indian goods in America to 50% from August 27. Trump has imposed this tariff due to buying Russian oil. What is the government doing to settle the Chinese FDI? The government is preparing to quickly settle the FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) proposals coming from Chinese companies. For this, the government has given instructions to simplify the approval process. According to sources, the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) headed by the Home Secretary will now work on these proposals expeditiously. A meeting of the IMC was also held last week. A senior official said, 'We have clear instructions. Reduce the time taken to process applications.' According to sources, proposals from non-critical sectors like renewable energy, manufacturing and electronics are still being considered. Dixon Technologies' FDI proposal is also under review. It includes two Chinese partners. 200 FDI proposals are awaiting approval Under Press Note 3, about 200 FDI proposals from China are pending. According to this rule, approval has to be taken from the government before investing in countries sharing a land border with India. The government can dispose of them quickly after getting approval from the IMC and the Cabinet Secretariat. Many Chinese companies have been waiting for their proposals to be approved for a long time. However, officials have also made it clear that this move should not be seen as India's soft stance towards China. A source said, 'India's engagement with Chinese FDI should not be seen through the prism of its relations with the US.'
Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Time of India
Peter Navarro to India: Act like a US partner or pay the price
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro on Monday criticised India's crude oil imports from Russia, calling the move "opportunistic" and warning that if India "wants to be treated as a strategic partner of the US, it needs to start acting like one". In an opinion piece in the Financial Times, Navarro alleged that India was "now cosying up to both Russia and China" and argued that New Delhi's Russian crude purchases must stop as they were financing Moscow's war in Ukraine. His comments come ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month, even as Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi visits New Delhi for talks on the disputed border. "This two-pronged policy will hit India where it hurts-its access to US markets - even as it seeks to cut off the financial lifeline it has extended to Russia's war effort," Navarro wrote. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Crossout 2.0: Supercharged Crossout Play Now Undo He said India's reliance on Russian crude was "opportunistic and deeply corrosive of global efforts to isolate Putin's war economy". The remarks assume significance as US trade negotiators have postponed their planned August 25-29 visit for the sixth round of Bilateral Trade Agreement talks , the first tranche of which is targeted for conclusion by autumn. Live Events Trump has already imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, including a 25% penal levy for continued purchases of Russian oil, despite the external affairs ministry's assertion that India is being unfairly singled out while the US and EU continue to source energy from Moscow. While the 25% tariff on Indian goods entering the US took effect on August 7, the additional 25%, announced as penalty for crude and defence imports from Russia, will kick in on August 27. "India acts as a global clearing house for Russian oil, converting embargoed crude into high-value exports while giving Moscow the dollars it needs," Navarro wrote, adding that it was risky to transfer cutting-edge US military capabilities to a country "cosying up to both Russia and China".
Indian Express
44 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Trump administration in talks to take 10% stake in Intel, reports
The Trump administration is in talks to take a 10% stake in Intel by converting some or all of the struggling company's Chips Act grants into equity, Bloomberg News reported, citing a White House official and other people familiar with the matter. Shares of Intel fell 3.8% on Monday, after rallying last week on hopes of US federal support. A 10% stake in the American chipmaker would be worth about $10 billion. Intel has been slated to receive a combined $10.9 billion in Chips Act grants for commercial and military production, and the figure is roughly enough to pay for the government's holding, according to the Bloomberg report on Monday. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Intel and the White House did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. Media reports said last week that the US government may buy a stake in Intel, after a meeting between CEO Lip-Bu Tan and President Donald Trump that was sparked by Trump's demand for the new Intel chief's resignation over his ties to Chinese firms. Federal backing could give Intel more breathing room to revive its loss-making foundry business, analysts have said, but it still suffers from a weak product roadmap and challenges in attracting customers to its new factories. Trump, who called the meeting with Tan 'very interesting,' has taken an unprecedented approach to corporate interventions. He has pushed for multibillion-dollar government tie-ups in semiconductors and rare earths, such as a pay-for-play deal with Nvidia and an arrangement with rare earth producer MP Materials to secure critical minerals. Intel last year secured nearly $8 billion in subsidies, the largest outlay under the act, to build new factories in Ohio and other states as former CEO Pat Gelsinger bet on them to restore the company's manufacturing edge. Tan, however, pared back such ambitions, slowing construction in Ohio. He plans to build factories based on demand for the services, which analysts have said could put him at odds with Trump's push to shore up American manufacturing.
