China did little on its BRI pledges to Manila but the immediate provocation was its aggressive attacks near the Second Thomas Shoal in the Philippines EEZ.
Denny Tamaki acknowledged the buoy found northwest of one of the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa, an area where China has aggressively pursued maritime control.
China has been conducting non-kinetic "unrestricted warfare" against West for decades. The People's Liberation Army is only for if needed to finish things off.
"The two-state solution, including the creation of a Palestinian state to live in peace with Israel, is the only way forward" — EU HRVP Josep Borrell
A quasi-alliance with the Philippines will be important for Japan's security and economy, and will complement the two countries' shared concerns about China.
Like Japan, the Philippines is part of the "first island chain" and strategic terrain for defending the region's small democratic bloc from an aggressive China.
As China continues to rachet up pressure on the Senkaku Islands, Japan and the US must further assert their presence, including with personnel on the Senkakus.
China's Belt and Road project has created enormous debt at home while funding poorly used infrastructure projects in countries that cannot repay their loans.
To counter China's destructive Belt and Road Initiative, G7 nations should lead in infrastructure financing based on transparency and fairness.
Amid mounting military pressure from China, Taiwan is flagging the PLA's military drills in its vicinity to show that it knows its every move. But is...
Tsutomu Nishioka, a Korean Peninsula expert, assesses Yoon Suk-yeol's presidency and the issues at stake for the region in a revealing 2-part interview.