Tag: Philippines

Philippines win first Asian Games men’s basketball gold in 61 years

justin Brownlee and John Bohannon in a basketball match
The Philippines’ Justin Brownlee is challenged by Jordan’s John Bohannon during the Asian Games men’s basketball gold medal match in Hangzhou on Oct 6, 2023. (Photo: AFP/William West)

The Philippines won their first men’s Asian Games basketball gold since 1962 on Friday (Oct 6) in a 70-60 victory over Jordan with American-born Justin Brownlee pouring in 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Both sides started slowly in an error-riddled first quarter in Hangzhou, which the Philippines edged 17-12, but Jordan – seeking their first Asiad title – rallied to enter half-time level at 31-31.

The momentum shifted back to the Philippines in the third quarter, however, and they took a 51-41 lead into the home stretch and then held their nerve for a famous victory.

Angelo Kouame added 14 points and Chris Newsome 13 for the Philippines, who won the title four times in a row from 1951 to 1962 but had made just one final since, in 1990.

As they went off the boil, China took over on the regional stage, winning eight of the last 11 golds with South Korea claiming the other three.

But there has been a changing of the guard in Hangzhou, with South Korea failing to make the knockouts and China relegated to third, winning the bronze medal match against Chinese Taipei 101-73 ahead of the final.

Former Brooklyn Nets starter Rondae Hollis-Jefferson top-scored for Jordan with a game-high 24 points.

Both sides suffered early nerves in the first quarter, with Jordan sinking just three field goals from 17 attempts and the Philippines faring little better with six from 18.

But a three-pointer from Brownlee just before the buzzer gave the Philippines the edge heading into the second quarter and they stretched their lead to 13 points.

Huge back-to-back baskets outside the arc from Fadi Mustafa and Jefferson helped haul Jordan back into the game and they went into half-time level.

Jordan took the lead for the first time when Jefferson sank a two-pointer soon after the restart, but the Philippines kept coming and seized back control, led by Brownlee and Newsome.

Taking a 10-point buffer going into the final quarter, they survived some nervy moments and clung on.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sport/asian-games-philippines-win-first-basketball-gold-61-years-3827211

Philippines condemns Chinese ‘floating barrier’ in South China Sea

The Philippines on Sunday accused China’s coast guard of installing a “floating barrier” in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying it prevented Filipinos from entering and fishing in the area.

Manila’s coast guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources “strongly condemn” China’s installation of the barrier in part of the Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela, a coast guard spokesperson, posted on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter.

The barrier blocking fishermen from the shoal was depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities, he said.

“The (Philippine Coast Guard) will continue to work closely with all concerned government agencies to address these challenges, uphold our maritime rights and protect our maritime domains,” Tarriela said.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Chinese Coast Guard boats close to the floating barrier are pictured on September 20, 2023, near the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, in this handout image released by the Philippine Coast Guard on September 24, 2023. Philippine Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERS

China claims 90% of the South China Sea, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. Beijing seized the Scarborough Shoal in 2012 and forced fishermen from the Philippines to travel further for smaller catches.

Beijing allowed Filipino fishermen to return to the uninhabited shoal when bilateral relations were improving markedly under then-President Rodrigo Duterte. But tension has mounted again since his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, took office last year.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippines-condemns-chinese-floating-barrier-south-china-sea-2023-09-24/

Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines & Vietnam Join India To Dismiss Controversial China Map

On Monday, China released a “standard map”, which showed Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as parts of Chinese territory. The distorted map also incorporated China’s claims over Taiwan and a large part of the South China Sea.

The Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam on Thursday joined India to reject the latest “standard map” released by China that shows other countries’ territories as its own.
In a strongly worded statement, the Philippine government said, “This latest attempt to legitimise China’s purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”
Notably, the map includes the nine-dash line, now a 10-dash line, that supposedly shows China’s boundaries in the South China Sea.
“(The 2016 Arbitral Award) categorically stated that ‘maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the ‘nine-dash line’ are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect to the extent that they exceed the geographic and substantive limits of China’s maritime entitlements under the Convention,” Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza was quoted as saying by the official Philippine News Agency.

“The Philippines, therefore, calls on China to act responsibly and abide by its obligations under UNCLOS and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award,” she further stated.

Meanwhile, Malaysia, whose maritime areas have been covered in the Chinese map, said it will send a “protest note” to China over the latter’s claims on the South China Sea.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/malaysia-taiwan-philippines-vietnam-join-india-to-dismiss-controversial-china-map-article-103257485

China asks Philippines to jointly work on defusing South China Sea tensions

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poses as he meets Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (not seen) in Ankara, Turkey, July 26, 2023. Stringer/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the Philippines to work with China to seek an effective way to defuse tensions in the South China Sea, the official Xinhua news agency said on Saturday.

The comments come amid rising tensions between the two countries over the location of a grounded warship that serves as a military outpost in the South China Sea. read more

The comments were made by Wang during a visit to Singapore and Malaysia which took place on Thursday and Friday, said Xinhua.

China has repeatedly expressed its willingness to resolve differences with the Philippines through bilateral dialogue, hoping that the Philippine side would abide by a consensus reached in the past, Xinhua reported Wang as saying.

The Philippines intentionally grounded the World War Two-era warship Sierra Madre in 1999 as part of its sovereignty claim to the Second Thomas Shoal, which lies within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and rotates a handful of troops through the ship.

The Philippines won an international arbitration award in 2016 against China’s claim over almost all of the South China Sea, after a tribunal ruled Beijing’s sweeping claim had no legal basis, including at the Second Thomas Shoal.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-asks-philippines-jointly-work-defusing-south-china-sea-tensions-2023-08-12

‘Who Are They To Tell Us’: Philippines’ Response on China’s Calls for Removing Ship

A Chinese coast guard ship uses water cannon on a Philippine Coast Guard ship near the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal, South China Sea as they blocked it’s path during a re-supply mission. (Image: AP Photo)

China renewed calls Tuesday for the Philippines to remove an ageing ship from a reef that Manila uses to press its stake in the Spratly Islands in defiance of Beijing’s claim to nearly the entire South China Sea.

The move comes after the Philippines accused the China Coast Guard of firing water cannon against boats on a resupply mission to its garrison stationed on the grounded vessel at the weekend.

The BRP Sierra Madre — deliberately grounded in 1999 in an effort to check the advance of China in the hotly contested waters — has long been a flashpoint between Manila and Beijing.

The handful of Philippine marines deployed on the crumbling vessel depend upon resupply missions to survive their remote posting.

The Philippine military and coast guard accused the China Coast Guard of breaking international law by blocking and firing water cannon at the resupply mission, preventing one of the charter boats from reaching the shoal.

Beijing has defended its actions as “professional” and accused Manila of “illegal delivery of construction materials” to the grounded ship.

“The Philippine side has repeatedly made clear promises to tow away the warship illegally ‘stranded’ on the reef,” a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said Tuesday.

“Twenty-four years have passed, the Philippine side has not only failed to tow away the warship, but also attempted to repair and reinforce it on a large scale to achieve permanent occupation of the Ren’ai Reef,” they said, using the Chinese term for the Second Thomas Shoal.

“The Chinese side once again urges the Philippines to immediately tow away the ‘stranded’ warship from the Ren’ai Reef and restore the status of no one and no facilities on the reef,” they said.

The Philippine foreign ministry said Tuesday the “permanent station” on Second Thomas Shoal was in response to China’s “illegal occupation” of nearby Mischief Reef in 1995.

Source: https://www.news18.com/world/who-are-they-to-tell-us-philippines-response-on-chinas-calls-for-removing-ship-8528331.html

Philippines summons Chinese Ambassador over water cannon incident in disputed sea, official says

The United States, the European Union and their key allies including Australia and Japan expressed support to the Philippines

Journalists take pictures of a car with diplomatic plates and Chinese flag leaves the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, Philippines on Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. The Philippine government summoned the Chinese ambassador on Monday to convey a diplomatic protest over the Chinese coast guard’s use of a water cannon against a Filipino supply boat in the disputed South China Sea, a Philippine official said. | Photo Credit: AP

The Philippine government summoned the Chinese Ambassador on August 7 to convey a diplomatic protest over the Chinese coast guard’s use of a water cannon against a Filipino supply boat in the disputed South China Sea, a Philippine official said.

The Philippine military on August 6 condemned the Chinese coast guard ship’s “excessive and offensive” use of a water cannon to block a Filipino supply boat from delivering a new batch of troops, food, water and fuel to the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed waters.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/philippines-summons-chinese-ambassador-over-water-cannon-incident-in-disputed-sea-official-says/article67167306.ece

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