Notes from ChinaFile
01.06.23![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/the_class_of_77_jaime_florcruz_book_cover_cropped.jpg?itok=TRP_nnVS)
The Class of ’77
In August 1971, Jaime FlorCruz arrived in Beijing for a short trip to learn about Maoist China. Just days later, the Filipino college student learned he had been put on a blacklist by then President Ferdinand Marcos. Facing certain arrest and likely...
Conversation
12.16.22![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/54446_sm.jpg?itok=sy7pP4Il)
How Well Is China Advancing Its Interests in Southeast Asia?
Xi Jinping traveled to Southeast Asia last month to attend the G20 summit in Bali before moving on to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ meeting in Bangkok. The meetings came on the heels of Premier Li Keqiang’s...
Conversation
12.28.21![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/53546_sm.jpg?itok=mS7ibdZD)
Three Questions for China’s Neighbors
“China was, is, and will always be a good neighbor,” China’s leader Xi Jinping told ASEAN representatives in a November 2021 virtual meeting, after a series of conflicts over Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea had raised tensions...
ChinaFile Recommends
05.14.18Why Is China Suddenly Seeking Filipino English Teachers?
South China Morning Post
Beijing shifts its attitude towards workers from the Philippines.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.10.18Duterte Banks on China Ties to Repair War-Torn Philippine City
Bloomberg
China will have a chance to showcase warmer ties with the Philippines if it wins a contract to rebuild a city ravaged by Islamic State-inspired terrorists last year, a cabinet member said.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.09.18How China Is Challenging American Dominance in Asia
New York Times
As China grows more powerful, it is displacing decades-old American preeminence in parts of Asia. The outlines of the rivalry are defining the future of the continent.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.07.18China and the Philippines Will Work Together to Tap the South China Sea’s Vast Oil Deposits
Forbes
China needs fuel to grow the world’s second-largest economy by 6.5% this year as established this week at annual legislative sessions.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.20.18“Ignore the Missiles”: Duterte Says China’s South China Sea Militarization Is No Problem
Quartz
Generally speaking, a sovereign nation dislikes it when a foreign power establishes new military bases within striking range of its capital. But when it comes to China doing just that to the Philippines in the South China Sea, Rodrigo Duterte, it...
ChinaFile Recommends
02.06.18Philippines’ Duterte Reneges on China Deal, Bans Foreign Research Ships
Reuters
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has banned all foreign scientific research off the country’s Pacific coast and told the navy to chase away unauthorised vessels, despite earlier allowing Chinese oceanographers to operate there.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.06.18Photos Show Beijing’s Militarisation of South China Sea in New Detail
Guardian
Beijing has been accused of building “island fortresses” in the South China Sea after a newspaper in the Philippines obtained aerial photographs offering what experts called the most detailed glimpse yet of China’s militarisation of the waterway.
ChinaFile Recommends
01.09.18Philippines to Protest to China over Apparent Airbase on Manmade Island
Reuters
The United States has criticized China’s build-up of military facilities on the artificial islands and is concerned they could be used to restrict free movement along the key trade route.
ChinaFile Recommends
12.11.17China Telecom Picked to Become the Philippines' Third Telecoms Player
South China Morning Post
China Telecom Corp could become the Philippines’ third nationwide telecommunications operator, officials of the Southeast Asian country said on Sunday, as the government sought to stir up competition to boost notoriously poor fixed-line broadband...
ChinaFile Recommends
11.08.17Philippines, Seeking to Appease Beijing, Halts Construction in South China Sea
New York Times
President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has ordered military officials to stop construction work on a sandbar in a disputed area of the South China Sea after Beijing complained, the country’s defense chief said on Wednesday.
ChinaFile Recommends
10.09.17Philippines Apologizes to China over Wrong Taiwan Logo
Bloomberg
The Philippine defense department has apologized to China for the "grievous but purely unintentional mistake" of using Taiwan's defense ministry logo during a ceremony where the Chinese ambassador turned over thousands of assault...
ChinaFile Recommends
05.31.17Trump May Turn to Vietnam for Help on South China Sea
CNBC
On Wednesday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will be the first ASEAN leader to visit the White House since President Donald Trump’s election and the U.S. may look to tap into the emerging market’s friction with China.
Sinica Podcast
05.26.17![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/timesquare_china-small.jpg?itok=3lIWU5hm)
Chinese Power in the Age of Donald Trump
from Sinica Podcast
When Joseph Nye, Jr., first used the phrase “soft power” in his 1990 book Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power, China did not factor much into his calculus of world order: It had relatively little military and economic power, and...
ChinaFile Recommends
05.25.17South China Sea: U.S. Warship Challenges China’s Claims with First Operation under Trump
CNN
A U.S. Navy destroyer has sailed close to a disputed South China Sea island controlled by China for the first time under U.S. President Donald Trump.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.22.17Philippines, China Play down Duterte's Talk of War in Disputed Sea
Reuters
The Philippines and China played down on Monday a warning by President Rodrigo Duterte that China would go to war if the Philippines drilled for oil in the disputed South China Sea.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.15.17China’s New Silk Road Promises Trade and Riches, with President Xi at Helm
Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping and 29 other heads of state on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to build an open economy and ensure free and inclusive trade, under the ambitious Belt and Road initiative led by Beijing.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.08.17China Coast Guard’s New ‘Monster’ Ship Completes Maiden Patrol in South China Sea
Diplomat
The world’s largest coast guard vessel, the 12,000-ton China Coast Guard (CCG) cutter 3901, has successfully completed its first patrol in the South China Sea this month, according to Chinese government reports.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.01.17Asian Nations Pulled into China’s Orbit as Trump Puts America First
Reuters
Across Asia, more and more countries are being pulled into Beijing’s orbit, with the timid stance adopted by Southeast Asian nations on the South China Sea at a weekend summit a clear sign this fundamental geostrategic shift is gathering momentum.
Viewpoint
04.06.17![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/tillersoninbeijing.jpg?itok=9UXTDQOu)
Is It Time to Give up on Engagement?
In the lead-up to U.S. President Trump’s meeting later this week with China’s Xi Jinping, Orville Schell, ChinaFile’s publisher, wrote an essay in The Wall Street Journal on the history of China’s episodic embrace of democratic principles and why in...
ChinaFile Recommends
02.02.17Trump, Tillerson and the South China Sea: What’s at Stake
CNN
Rex Tillerson, who was sworn in as U.S. Secretary of State Wednesday, takes responsibility for U.S. policy in one of the world’s biggest flashpoints: the South China Sea.
ChinaFile Recommends
11.21.16China is No Longer Ruining Their Livelihoods, but These Filipino Fishermen are Not Entirely Grateful
Los Angeles Times
“We cannot forget China’s aggression towards us. They bumped our boats, they fired their water cannons on us"
Conversation
11.15.16![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/trump_abe_masks.jpg?itok=pH42ARLq)
Should China’s Neighbors Rely on the U.S. for Protection?
President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on a platform of neo-isolationism that could see many traditional U.S. allies in Asia left without Washington’s support in the newly roiled waters of the South- and East China Seas. What will the governments...
China in the World Podcast
11.02.16![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/lawofsea.jpg?itok=3ki_4v64)
Law of the Sea and the U.S. Election
from Carnegie China
The South China Sea has been a central point of tension in the U.S.-China relationship under the Obama administration. In this podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with John Bellinger, the most senior international lawyer in the George W. Bush administration...
ChinaFile Recommends
10.28.16Philippines Says China Vessels Have Left Disputed Scarborough Shoal
South China Morning Post
Unimpeded access for first time in four years, Philippine minister says
Conversation
10.25.16![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/dutertexi.jpg?itok=k6vnALb6)
How Many U.S. Allies Can China Turn?
Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philippines since June, visited China this week and signaled his interest in shifting Manila’s allegiance away from Washington toward Beijing. While his predecessor sued China in an international court to contest...
ChinaFile Recommends
10.25.16Duterte’s Fling With China Could Prove Fleeting
Wall Street Journal
Beijing will soon discover that Manila’s affections can be fickle
ChinaFile Recommends
10.19.16‘I Am Chinese’: Philippine President Duterte’s Awkward Charm Offensive in China
Time
Having sanctioned thousands of extrajudicial killings, Duterte says his visit to China is “the defining moment of my presidency”
ChinaFile Recommends
10.17.16China Courts Philippines Leader Duterte Amid Signs of U.S. Rift
Guardian
The Philippines president is visiting China, but whether his focus is on building relations or his country’s infrastructure remains to be seen
ChinaFile Recommends
10.03.16Is Philippine President Duterte Playing the United States and China?
South China Morning Post
Is the pivot away from the U.S. and towards China real, or is Manila just trying to play the two superpowers against each other?
ChinaFile Recommends
09.26.16Phillippines’ Duterte Wants to ‘Open Alliances’ With Russia, China
Reuters
Duterte turns after reaching "the point of no return" with the U.S.
Media
08.17.16![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/28796_sm.jpg?itok=G77Im9UK)
How the Philippines Can Win in the South China Sea
The Philippine Islands has a problem. It has international law on its side in its quarrel with China over maritime territory, but no policeman walking his beat to enforce the law. That means that, despite an international court’s findings, the...
The NYRB China Archive
07.28.16![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/28741.jpg?itok=YGnvGoFR)
China: The People’s Fury
from New York Review of Books
It has long been routine to find in both China’s official news organizations and its social media a barrage of anti-American comment, but rarely has it reached quite the intensity and fury of the last few days. There have been calls from citizens on...
Viewpoint
07.14.16![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/gettyimages-546336660.jpg?itok=1XAecM65)
China’s Failure in the South China Sea
By reiterating its policy of “no acceptance, no participation, no recognition, and no implementation,” China has painted itself into a difficult corner and diminished the chances of resolving the myriad maritime disputes—involving Vietnam, Brunei,...
Conversation
07.12.16![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/reactions-to-the-hagues-rejection.jpg?itok=oiTY_v9J)
China’s Claims in the South China Sea Rejected
On Tuesday in the Hague, the Permanent Court of Arbitration rejected China’s claims that a scattering of rocks and reefs in the contested South China Sea qualify as Exclusive Economic Zones for China. The court found in favor of the Philippines’...
Conversation
05.16.16![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/gettyimages-117613606.jpg?itok=cYCg0GFz)
Escalation in the South China Sea
International tensions are rising over the shipping lanes and land formations in the South China Sea. Last week, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force scrambled fighter jets in response to a U.S. Navy ship sailing near the disputed Fiery Cross Reef...
ChinaFile Recommends
04.14.16U.S., Philippines Conduct Joint Patrols In South China Sea
NPR
Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the patrols and increased military support are intended to "tamp down tensions."
ChinaFile Recommends
01.07.16China Lands More Civilian Planes on Fiery Cross Reef
BBC
China has landed two civilian planes on an island built in the disputed South China Sea, days after an earlier landing there prompted international concern.
ChinaFile Recommends
01.05.16S. China Sea Tensions Surge as China Lands Plane on Artificial Island
Reuters
China's increasing military presence in the disputed sea could effectively lead to a Beijing-controlled air defence zone.
ChinaFile Recommends
11.23.15Obama Pledges Military Aid to Allies in Southeast Asia
New York Times
“We have a treaty obligation, an ironclad commitment to the defense of our ally the Philippines, who can count on the United States.”
Conversation
11.18.15![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/system/public/assets/images/article/system/gettyimages-496963068.jpg?itok=PI8gMs4v)
How Can China’s Neighbors Make Progress at APEC?
Ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit next week, we asked a group of experts from China’s neighboring countries what they thought the main thrust of discussion in Manila should be. If host, the Philippines, under pressure from...
ChinaFile Recommends
11.10.15China to Philippines: No Sea Feud Talk at APEC Summit
Associated Press
“They said they hope that contentious issues will not be raised during APEC.”
ChinaFile Recommends
10.22.15Philippines Says Handing China Suspects in Diplomats' Shooting
Reuters
Two Chinese diplomats suspected of killing two colleagues will be granted diplomatic immunity and handed over to Chinese authorities.
ChinaFile Recommends
09.23.15China Admonishes Malcolm Turnbull on South China Sea Comments
Guardian
China hoped Australia would ‘stay committed to not taking sides on issues concerning disputes over sovereignty’.
ChinaFile Recommends
08.10.15China Hits Back at U.S. Criticism over South China Sea ‘Restrictions’
Reuters
Free overflights and navigation doesn't equal foreign warships and jets to violate sovereignty and security, Beijing said.
ChinaFile Recommends
07.15.15Google Alters Name of Disputed South China Sea Reef
CNN
Google says it has altered its map of a disputed reef in the South China Sea, removing its Chinese name in favor of what it says is its internationally recognized moniker.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.26.15How America Should Respond to China’s Moves in the South China Sea
National Interest
U.S. military superiority is required to keep the Asia-Pacific region from getting out of hand.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.27.15China’s Neighbors Build Up Militaries
Wall Street Journal
China’s neighbors are moving forward with the modernization of their militaries with new fighter jets, submarines and other hardware, even as Beijing has tried to tamp down territorial tensions in the region.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.28.14U.S., Philippines Sign Defense Pact Amid China Tensions
Bloomberg
Philippine President Benigno Aquino is strengthening military ties with countries like the U.S. as it is embroiled in a territorial dispute with China over islands and shoals in the South China Sea.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.06.14Commentary: Philippine Leader's Senseless Attack Against China Smells of Amateurish Politician
Xinhua
A Xinhua writer fiercely responds to Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III’s comparison of China to Nazy Germany.
ChinaFile Recommends
10.28.13Who Will Win Control of the South China Sea?
New York Times
To understand how Second Thomas Shoal could become contested ground is to enter into a morass of competing historical, territorial and even moral claims in an area where defining what is true or fair may be no easier than it has proved to...
ChinaFile Recommends
11.20.12Op-Ed: Japan-China Relations at a Crossroads
New York Times
Japan's foreign minister argues that there is no doubt that the Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu in China, are a part of Japan.
ChinaFile Recommends
11.17.12China Says Does Not Want South China Sea Overshadowing Summit
Reuters
China's claim to a stretch of water off its south coast also claimed by neighbors makes it Asia's biggest potential military hot spot.
ChinaFile Recommends
08.07.12The South China Sea: Troubled Waters
Economist
Long a zone of contention among a number of littoral states, the South China Sea is fast becoming the focus of one of the most serious bilateral disputes between America and China. Over the weekend China’s foreign ministry summoned an...
Reports
07.24.12![](https://www.chinafile.com/sites/default/files/styles/epsacrop_160x200/public/assets/images/whitepaper/image/internationalcrisisgrouplogo.png?itok=g74qC14a)
Stirring Up the South China Sea (II)
International Crisis Group
The South China Sea dispute between China and some of its South East Asian neighbours - Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei - has reached an impasse. Increasingly assertive positions among claimants have pushed regional tensions to new...
Caixin Media
05.31.12Heading Deep for the First Time
On May 9, China National Offshore Oil Corp.’s (CNOOC) first deepwater drilling platform began operating in the South China Sea. The world-class vessel is stationed in the Liwan 6-1-1 field, about 320 kilometers southeast of Hong Kong, in waters...