#THEPHILIPPINES: Pres. Duterte Won't End Patrols In China-Claimed Waters

[World Politics News]

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he will not withdraw navy and coastguard vessels patrolling the disputed South China Sea, insisting the country’s sovereignty over the waters is not negotiable. 

Tensions over the sea – which China claims almost entirely – have spiked as Beijing refuses to pull out vessels from the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and Manila steps up maritime patrols. Duterte is under growing domestic pressure to take a harder line.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THEPHILIPPINES: Pres. Duterte Threatens "Suicide Missions" Against Chinese Troops Over Disputed Island

[world politics news]

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has told China to “lay off” an island occupied by his country in the disputed South China Sea and said he would deploy his soldiers there on a "suicide mission" if China touches it.

Duterte’s remarks, which he said was not a warning but rather a word of advice to a friend, follow a statement made by the foreign affairs ministry calling the presence of more than 200 Chinese boats near Thitu Island illegal.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#JAPAN: Island Dispute Flares Up After China Denounces Japanese Mayor's Plan To Rename Islands Claimed by Both Nations

[world politics news]

The Chinese government has condemned a Japanese mayor's plan to change the name of a small group of islands in the East China Sea. Ishigaki Mayor Yoshitaka Nakayama wants to change the name of the Japanese-controlled islands from "Tonoshiro, Ishigaki City,” to “Senkaku, Ishigaki City." China and Taiwan claim the islands, with China calling them the the Diaoyu Islands, Taiwan, the Tiaoyutai Islands. They are located between Okinawa and Taiwan, and are said to be close to undersea oil fields. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said, "Whatever tricks Japan plays, it will not change the fact that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China."

[FULL STORY HERE, also HERE]

#JAPAN: Foreign Min. Taro Kono Lodges Protest With China Over Gas Ship In Contested Waters

[world politics news]

Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono says Japan has lodged a protest over China’s deployment of a drillship to contested gas field in the East China Sea.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#JAPAN: New Defense Min. Won't Rule Out Visit To Controversial Shrine; Says "No" To Nukes

[world politics news]

Newly appointed Defense Minister Tomomi Inada refuses to say when or if she would again visit a controversial shrine honoring Japanese soldiers who fought in wars against China in World War II. She attended the Yasukuni shrine repeatedly as policy chief for the ruling Liberal Democrats. She also said she did not believe Japan should have nuclear weapons "at this time" but might in the future. In a 2011 interview, the conservative hardliner said Japan should obtain nukes.

#JAPAN: Abe And China's Premier Meet To Ease South China Sea Tensions

[world politics news]

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met on the sidelines of an international meeting in Mongolia as Asia's two largest economies try to repair a relationship fractured after Japan sided with the West in the South China Sea dispute.

#JAPAN: Chinese Foreign Minister's Stern Demands Irk Japanese

[world politics news]

China's demand that Japan should honor its Taiwan "One China" policy and dial down its rhetoric condemning Chinese threats to the island and its new independence-minded president has irked Japan's government. The Chinese foreign ministry has released "four requirements" for improved relations, including the demand  that Japan "follow the one-China policy to the letter."

Pictured, Japanese Foreign Min. Fumio Kashida, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

#SINGAPORE: Taiwan, Communist China Leaders Will Hold Historic Meeting Sunday

[world politics news]

Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Singapore on Saturday, Ma's office said, in what will be the first meeting between leaders from the two rivals since the end of a civil war in 1949.

Pictured: Mainland China's president, Xi Jinping (left) and Taiwan's president, Ma Ying-jeou

#JAPAN: Gov't Names 158 Remote Islands, Including 5 In Dispute With #China

[world politics news]

#VIETNAM: China Condemns Vietnam's Gov't For Stoking Anti-Chinese Riots Over Drilling in Disputed Sea

[world politics news]

A Chinese coast guardsman films a Vietnamese surveillance ship which attempted
to ram a China Coast Guard vessel near the disputed Chinese oil rig.

China's Ministry of Commerce has condemned anti-China rioting in Vietnam. Violence erupted after China's state-owned oil company installed a drilling platform in disputed waters in the South China Sea that both nations claim. China accuses Vietnam's government in Hanoi of stoking the riots, which have left two dead and hundreds injured.

#CHINA

Foreign Min. Lectures #JohnKerry: "Respect Chinese Sovereignty" [world politics news]

#JAPAN

Gov't & US Officials Criticize Chinese Fishing Restrictions Near Disputed Islands [world politics news]

#CHINA

Beijing-Tokyo Forum Expresses Hope for Thawing Frosty Ties [world politics news]

Former Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda speaks at the ninth Beijing-Tokyo Forum in Beijing, Oct 27.

JAPAN

PM Abe Pledges Support for Philippines in Mutual Territorial Disputes with China [world politics news]

JAPAN: Defense Budget to Rise for First Time in 11 Years to Counter Threats [world politics news]

CHINA: Japan Criticized for Following "Routine" Flight Near Disputed Islands [world politics news]

JAPAN: Gov't Orders Increased Surveillance on Disputed Islands [world politics news]

VIETNAM: Fishery Association Says China Flooding Sea with Fishing Boats to Assert Claims

ASIA: China Urges Two Philippine Vessels to Withdraw from Disputed S. China Sea Islands