Philippines - Page 10

China’s state-run Global Times fired a shot across the Philippine bow on Friday by reminding President Rodrigo Duterte that his country has a history of violent coups and assassinations, so he really ought to avoid destabilizing activities such as arguing with Beijing about islands in the South China Sea.

President Rodrigo Duterte claims he quarreled with China after the Chinese military tried to drive away Philippine Navy planes flying over the disputed South China Sea last month. 

Contents: Tensions grow in Philippines as Duterte turns against China in South China Sea; China increasingly rejects Duterte’s ‘diplomatic actions’; Zambia becomes the next nation to fall victim to China’s ‘debt trap’

One of the constant themes of the “Resistance” — most recently restated in the New York Times’ anonymous op-ed Wednesday — is that President Donald Trump is “amoral” because he is interested in cultivating good relations with dictators.

The Philippines’ controversial President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to arrive Sunday for a four-day visit, on the heels of yet another statement that triggered fury in which he said during a speech Thursday that rape will continue as long as there are beautiful women.

China’s Defense Ministry issued an angry rebuke of American coverage of China’s colonization of the South China Sea, particularly waters belonging to the sovereign territory of other nations. Ministry spokesman Senior Col. Wu Qian insisted on Thursday that American media are “ignoring the positive efforts” China has made in the region.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed the possibility of buying American-made F-16 fighter jets in remarks late Thursday, shortly after revealing three U.S. cabinet members had allegedly put the offer on the table.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry replied to a warning from Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte this week by reminding Manila that Beijing is comfortable taking “necessary steps” against ships it believes are sailing near Chinese territory in the South China Sea, the ministry said on Thursday.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte threatened violence against any Catholic bishop or priest present at remarks he delivered Tuesday, described by local media as “another directionless speech that targeted his usual enemies.”

Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte is considering sending a frigate warship to Libya to save three Filipinos and a South Korean man kidnapped from a water plant in the troubled country.

The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for a van explosion early Tuesday morning at a military checkpoint in the Southern Philippines that killed 11 people, an army spokesperson confirmed.

China donated four military boats and 30 rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) to the Philippines, the Philippine government announced Monday.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs had already been a source of great controversy for years when he suddenly announced a new crusade in June: a war on loitering. Those who fear authoritarian rule were dismayed to discover squads of police combing the streets of Manila each night and rounding up thousands of people who couldn’t provide a good enough explanation for why they were out after dark.

Harry Roque, a spokesman for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, said on Thursday that he thinks his boss might need “better speechwriters” to avoid such little slips of the tongue as alienating his 85% Catholic constituency by referring to God as a “stupid son of a bitch.”

The Philippines is teetering on the edge of breaching sanctions imposed by the United States if it moves forward with an estimated $7.5 million deal to purchase grenade launchers from blacklisted Russian state-owned firm Rosoboronexport, Reuters reports Wednesday.

The Filipino army arrested the fugitive wife of a top jihadi leader of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL)-linked Maute terrorist group, the predominantly Christian country’s armed forces reportedly confirmed on Monday.

Large red banners reading “Welcome to the Philippines, Province of China” mysteriously appeared on bridges throughout the nation’s capital Manila on Thursday, the second anniversary of an international legal ruling that declared China’s presence in Philippine territory in the South China Sea was illegal.

A large majority of Filipinos want President Rodrigo Duterte to assert the country’s territorial claims against China in the South China Sea, according to a survey released on Thursday.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte once again warned on Tuesday that he would attack God if anyone invoked his name against him, less than a day after the president had come to an agreement with Philippine Catholic leaders to stop assailing the religion of most of his country.

The question of whether Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s popularity could survive anything the colorful chief executive says appears to have been answered, as a survey by independent pollster Social Weather Stations published on Tuesday found Duterte sinking to his lowest approval rating since he assumed the office in 2016.

The uneasy relationship between the Catholic Church and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took a turn for the worse on two weeks ago when the notoriously foul-mouthed Duterte referred to God as a “stupid son of a bitch.” On Monday, the association of Philippine bishops called for three days of fasting and prayer in response to not only Duterte’s remarks but also the extreme violence of his drug war.

Mayor Ferdinand Bote of General Tinio in Nueva Ecija, Philippines, was pronounced dead Tuesday shortly after a gunman approached his car on a motorcycle and shot him dead in the town, the second assassination of a mayor in the country in as many days.

An unidentified sniper assassinated Mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan City in Batangas, Philippines, on Monday morning during a flag-raising ceremony as the national anthem played. Mayoral staff caught the killing on video.

Filipino strongman Rodrigo Duterte has sparked anger in the majority Catholic country after repeatedly calling God “stupid” and criticizing the concept of forbidden fruit within in the garden of Adam and Eve.

The Chinese state newspaper Global Times made the argument Monday that Western-style multi-party democracy has no place in Asia, citing numerous examples of Asian heads of state arrested for corruption. The newspaper does not mention the tens of thousands arrested on corruption charges under Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in China.

China’s state media announced Friday that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had executed a military drill in the South China Sea testing target drones in an aerial attack simulation.

Satellite images taken on Friday revealed that China has returned surface-to-air missiles to Woody Island in the Paracels, restoring them to exactly the same positions they occupied before tensions with the United States prompted Beijing to withdraw the weapons.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday that he would resign if all the women in the Philippines sign a petition calling for him to quit in response to widespread outrage after he forced a married woman to kiss him on stage in South Korea.

A report published Wednesday, as the Chinese Foreign Ministry asserted it was “not scared” of a growing U.S. presence in the region, suggests China has withdrawn some of its missile systems in the South China Sea.

South Korean and Philippine observers have expressed outrage at Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s treatment of a Philippine worker, who he appeared to force into a kiss on the lips onstage at an event in Seoul.

Contents: Philippine President Duterte reverses position, says he would go to war with China over South China Sea; China raises ‘combat readiness’ as US-China relations become increasingly hostile

Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte is prepared to “go to war” with China over their dispute in the South China Sea, his secretary of Foreign Affairs, Alan Peter Cayetano, said Monday.

China responded on Monday to criticism of its heavy bombers landing on a South China Sea airstrip by insisting it was all part of a routine training exercise and said the United States is the party that threatens regional stability by sending warships on freedom of navigation patrols through territory claimed by Beijing.

China reportedly landed one of its H-6K heavy bombers on Woody Island in the Paracels late last week, increasing concerns about Chinese militarization of disputed islands in the South China Sea, prompting a complaint and “appropriate diplomatic action” from the Philippines.

The Supreme Court of the Philippines expelled a judge on Thursday branded an “enemy” by President Rodrigo Duterte.

In an interview with Fox News conducted from a prison run by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces coalition, former ISIS fighter Hamza Nmeie warned that the Islamic State’s ideology will survive the collapse of the “caliphate” and inspire new groups obsessed with defeating the United States.