China sanctions former senator Francis Tolentino over West Philippine Sea stance
The specific details of the sanctions were not disclosed by Beijing, but such measures typically involve travel bans, asset freezes, or restrictions on doing business with Chinese entities. The announcement marks a new flashpoint in the already tense maritime dispute between the two countries over the West Philippine Sea, part of the broader South China Sea conflict.
The Philippine embassy in Beijing has yet to issue a statement on the matter.
In a swift and defiant response, Tolentino issued a statement rejecting China's sanctions and reaffirming his commitment to defending the Philippines' maritime rights.
'I acknowledge the sanctions imposed on me by China for defending the rights, dignity, and sovereignty of the Filipino people in the West Philippine Sea,' Tolentino said. 'I have fought — and will continue to fight — for what rightfully belongs to our nation. I stand firmly with the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Coast Guard, and our brave fishermen who depend on these waters for their livelihood.'
He added that the sanctions serve as a 'badge of honor' and a testament to his 'unwavering commitment' to protect the national interest.
'No foreign power can silence me or weaken my resolve to uphold our sovereignty. I am, and will always be, proud to be a Filipino,' Tolentino concluded.
The sanctions come amid renewed tensions in the disputed waters, where China has continued to assert sweeping territorial claims, often clashing with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations. The Philippine government has repeatedly protested Chinese incursions, and Tolentino had been a vocal figure in supporting maritime patrols and condemning aggressive actions by Chinese vessels.
This latest development adds to growing concern in the region over China's use of diplomatic and economic pressure to influence domestic politics in neighboring countries. Analysts suggest Beijing's move may be intended to send a warning to other politicians in the Philippines who are critical of China's maritime activities.
As of Tuesday evening, there has been no official response from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs or the Office of the President.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
an hour ago
- The National
AI chip smuggling 'gets more airtime than it should', White House official says
The idea of high-performance AI chips being smuggled into potentially nefarious hands gets more attention than it should, a White House official has said. Michael Kratsios, who serves as director for the Trump administration's Office of Science and Technology Policy, said on Wednesday that there are a lot of misconceptions and misguided fears about the 'physical diffusion' of artificial intelligence technology developed by the US. 'We're not talking about like a bag of diamonds or something,' he said during a discussion at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank about Mr Trump's recently announced AI Action Plan. Some politicians have expressed concerns about the potential for recently announced US AI partnerships overseas to be exploited by countries like China to try to acquire powerful American-made technology. 'These are like massive racks that are tonnes in weight and you're not going to put it on a forklift or back it into a truck, or something," he explained, adding that the idea of chip smuggling "probably gets more airtime than it should." Mr Kratsios also said the hypothetical scenario of the US partnerships with other countries leading to the misuse of data centres by countries like China for 'training runs' to access the centres was overblown. 'What you're most worried about is large-scale runs that are for training sophisticated models and those are actually pretty easy to flag,' he said, adding that the US will make sure to implement what's known in IT circles as Know Your Customer policies to prevent bad actors from gaining access to data centres powered by US technology. Mr Kratsios said that Mr Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, put too many chip export restrictions on allies, and that the export of US technology to countries with peaceful AI aspirations was critical to an overall AI strategy. During Mr Trump's visit to the Gulf in May, he announced the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership framework that will eventually lead to the construction of a 5GW UAE-US AI Campus in Abu Dhabi. 'The [Biden administration] limits made no sense at all,' he said, referring to President Biden's policies aimed at limiting the powerful CPUs and GPUs available to certain countries. Those policies were largely aimed at preventing the diffusion of US technology to China. It proved controversial, with companies like Microsoft and Nvidia claiming the policies hurt US efforts more than helping. Some US AI companies like Anthropic, however, have sought to keep the export controls. 'In some cases, smugglers have employed creative methods to circumvent export controls, including hiding processors in prosthetic baby bumps and packing GPUs [graphics processing units] alongside live lobsters,' read an April policy letter from Anthropic. That letter later came under criticism over what some called the oversimplification of how AI data centres work. Regardless, in keeping with that theme of reversing the Biden export policy, the Trump White House recently announced plans that would allow for Nvidia to resume sales of its H20 graphics processing unit to China. That decision, however, has come under criticism from several technology analysts and politicians. A group of Democratic senators this week sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urging him to reverse course. At the CSIS event, Mr Kratsios said the concerns from Democratic senators were oversimplified, adding that the H20 was designed to comply with US concerns about giving China too much computing power, among other things. 'It's not a free-for-all sale,' he said, referring to White House's H20 announcement. 'Any sale that Nvidia wants to make to China is one that's going to require an export licence.' Mr Kratsios added that the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security would be evaluating each of those licence applications and 'weight the costs' before giving Nvidia approval.
Dubai Eye
11 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Thailand returns some Cambodian soldiers ahead of key border talks
Thailand's army sent home two Cambodian soldiers from a group of 20 on Friday, ahead of a key meeting in Malaysia next week where defence ministers and military commanders will hold talks aimed at maintaining a ceasefire along their disputed border. Long-simmering tensions on the Thai-Cambodian border exploded into clashes last week, including exchanges of artillery fire and jet fighter sorties, the worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in over a decade. The clashes claimed at least 43 lives and left over 300,000 people displaced. A truce was achieved on Monday, following a push by Malaysia and phone calls from US President Trump who threatened to hold off tariff negotiations with both countries until fighting stopped. Thailand and Cambodia previously faced tariffs of 36 per cent for sending goods to the US, their largest export markets. Following further negotiations, they will now pay a 19 per cent tariff, the White House announced on Friday. In Bangkok, Thai government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub told reporters on Friday that two Cambodian soldiers had been sent back, and the remaining 18 were being processed for violating immigration law. "The Cambodian soldiers intruded on Thai territory and the army took them into custody, treating them based on humanitarian principles," he said. In a statement, the Cambodian defence ministry asked Thailand to return all the detained soldiers. "Cambodia is actively engaging in negotiations to secure their release, and reiterates its firm call for their immediate and unconditional release in accordance with the international humanitarian law," a ministry spokesperson said. Defence ministers and military leaders from both sides, who were previously scheduled to meet in the Cambodian capital next week, will now hold talks in Malaysia, after Thailand sought a neutral venue for the meeting. The General Border Committee, which coordinates on border security, ceasefires, and troop deployments, will meet between August 4-7, Thai Acting Defence Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit told reporters. "Defence attachés from other ASEAN countries will be invited as well as the defence attachés from the US and China," a Malaysian government spokesperson told reporters, referring to the Southeast Asian regional bloc that the country currently chairs. Thailand and Cambodia have for decades claimed jurisdiction over undemarcated points along their 817-km land border, with ownership of several ancient temples at the centre of disputes. In May, a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish, leading to a troop build-up and a diplomatic crisis, which eventually snowballed into five-days of intense fighting in late July.
Sharjah 24
a day ago
- Sharjah 24
Abdulla Al Hamed engages media and tech leaders in Shanghai
The discussions explored strategic opportunities to co-develop digital content for Middle Eastern markets, drive investment in creative media, integrate artificial intelligence into education, and develop intelligent infrastructure for next-generation media cities. Preparations for BRIDGE Summit 2025 Held as part of the preparations for BRIDGE Summit 2025, set to take place in Abu Dhabi this December, the meetings aim to deepen strategic partnerships with international organisations and unlock new pathways for collaboration across the global media and technology landscape. Engagements with key innovation leaders Abdulla Al Hamed met with Jinjian Zhang, Founding Partner of VitalBridge, a Shanghai-based venture capital firm investing in cutting-edge AI and robotics ventures. The Chairman also held talks with Bonnie Zhang, Founder of Cartea, a fast-growing automotive lifestyle platform bridging Chinese brands and Gulf markets, and Vivi He, Founder of Xiaguangshe (ShineGlobal), a think tank providing global market strategies for Chinese firms expanding overseas. Strategic dialogue with Huawei The Chairman also held a high-level meeting with Lv Yang Ming, President of Huawei Cloud Media Services Product Department, where discussions centred on advanced AI-powered content production, live-streaming solutions, and next-generation media infrastructure. UAE's strategic media vision Commenting on the meetings, His Excellency Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed underscored the importance of deepening collaboration with leading global technology and media firms as a strategic priority for the UAE. He said: 'Forging strong international partnerships is essential to building an agile and integrated media ecosystem that can thrive amid the rapid shifts of the digital age. We are committed to positioning the UAE as a global media hub, driving the creation of impactful, responsible, and forward-looking content. Through this, we aim to raise public awareness, encourage open dialogue, and reinforce our country's role as a vibrant platform for intellectual and cultural exchange on the world stage.'
