China sanctions former Philippine senator on maritime claims
Tolentino, who lost his bid for a second term in midterm elections, had canvassed on his efforts to bring in laws last year defining the country's sea lanes and maritime zones, which China opposed.
A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry accused some Filipino politicians of making "malicious remarks and moves" that hurt ties between the two nations.
"The Chinese government is firmly resolved to defend national sovereignty, security and development interests," the spokesperson added in a statement.
The sanctions prohibit Tolentino from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, the ministry said.
"No foreign power can silence me or weaken my resolve to uphold our sovereignty," Tolentino said in a statement, calling the sanctions a "badge of honour" and vowing to pursue his fight for "what rightfully belongs" to the Philippines.
China's claims in the South China Sea, a conduit for $3 trillion in annual ship-borne commerce, overlap with the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal voided Beijing's sweeping claims as having no basis in international law, a decision China rejects. — REUTERS
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Malaysia Sun
an hour ago
- Malaysia Sun
NATO circles China in more ways than one
The alliances latest summit avoided confronting Beijing but could not cover up the efforts to contain the Asian great power The June NATO summit, held in The Hague, ended with a significant headline: a collective pledge to increase annual defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. This bold target, far exceeding the current 2% benchmark, signals a new era of militarization in the West, reflecting anxieties about a rapidly changing world order. While China was notably absent from the summit's final declaration, the specter of the Asian giant loomed large over the event. The omission appears tactical rather than strategic - a thinly veiled attempt to avoid escalating tensions, even as NATO members ramp up rhetoric and military preparations clearly aimed at containing Beijing. Though the summit declaration remained silent on China, the alliance's leadership left little doubt about their true concerns. NATO's secretary general, Mark Rutte, used the summit sidelines to sound alarm bells over China's "massive military build-up". Echoing the now-familiar Western narrative, Rutte linked China - alongside Iran and North Korea - to Russia's military operations in Ukraine, accusing Beijing of supporting Moscow's war efforts. These remarks followed Rutte's June address at London's Chatham House, where he described China's military expansion as happening "at breakneck speed" and labeled Beijing, Tehran, Pyongyang, and Moscow as an "awful foursome." This framing makes clear that the NATO establishment and US leadership regard China not as a partner or even a rival, but a threat. The perception of China as an imminent danger was also echoed at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in May, where US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned of a potential Chinese military move against Taiwan and reiterated Washington's commitment to regional allies - albeit while pressing them to increase their own defense budgets. His remarks left no doubt: the US strategic focus is firmly on the Indo-Pacific, even at the expense of its traditional European commitments. In a notable diplomatic snub, the leaders of Australia, Japan, and South Korea - the so-called "Indo-Pacific partners" of NATO - cancelled their plans to attend the summit in The Hague. This decision, viewed by observers as a pointed message, undermined NATO's aspiration to consolidate its influence in the region. Since the 2022 Madrid summit, when NATO adopted its "Strategic Compass" and for the first time classified China as a "systemic challenge," the alliance has moved steadily to incorporate the Asia-Pacific into its strategic thinking. It now considers developments in East Asia as directly relevant to Euro-Atlantic security. As such, NATO seeks deeper cooperation with Australia, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand to uphold what it calls the "rules-based order" - a euphemism for Western hegemony. However, the absence of these Indo-Pacific leaders suggests a growing discomfort with NATO's expanding footprint. For many regional actors, NATO's presence in Asia represents not stability, but the risk of being drawn into geopolitical conflicts under the guise of shared security. Further adding to regional unease, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a controversial message at the Shangri-La Dialogue, warning Beijing that NATO could be involved in Southeast Asia unless China convinces North Korea to withdraw its troops from Russia. This statement not only mischaracterized Beijing's independent foreign policy and its complex relations with Pyongyang but also marked a sharp departure from France's previous resistance to NATO's involvement in Asia-Pacific matters. Such remarks, however, are increasingly aligned with the alliance's real trajectory: NATO is no longer content with transatlantic defense. Its strategic horizon is now global, and its compass points East. NATO-China relations, once limited and mostly symbolic, are now strained to the point of near-hostility. The first Chinese representative visited NATO headquarters in 2002, and both sides cooperated on anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden after 2008. Since then, however, the relationship has eroded amid intensifying geopolitical competition and diverging security philosophies. Beijing has become increasingly vocal in its criticism. Chinese authorities responded sharply to Rutte's remarks at The Hague, accusing NATO of spreading disinformation about China's stance on Ukraine and conflating the Taiwan question - which Beijing insists is a purely domestic matter - with a war between states. Chinese officials emphasized that NATO's role in the Asia-Pacific is unwelcome and destabilizing, viewing the alliance as a Cold War relic now repurposed to uphold US dominance and contain China's rise. For China, NATO is not just a military alliance, but a political tool used by Washington to limit Europe's engagement with Beijing. From this perspective, NATO's eastward ambitions threaten to derail the potential for constructive China-Europe cooperation, replacing it with division and distrust. China's concerns are not limited to NATO. The revival of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), the emergence of the "Squad," and the 2021 formation of AUKUS - a trilateral pact between the US, UK, and Australia - have only deepened Beijing's fears of encirclement. The AUKUS agreement, under which Australia is to receive nuclear-powered submarines from the US worth $240 billion, has introduced a new and dangerous element into regional security dynamics. Canberra will gain long-range strike capability for the first time and become only the second nation - after the UK - to receive access to US nuclear propulsion technology. Though the Trump administration has initiated a formal review of AUKUS, few expect significant changes. On the contrary, the pact is likely to reinforce the militarization of the region and increase the risk of nuclear proliferation. In contrast to NATO's bloc-based approach, China promotes a regional security framework rooted in multilateralism, inclusiveness, and dialogue. Beijing advocates for an ASEAN-centered architecture and supports institutions like the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), and the East Asia Summit. It also backs the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and has launched the Global Security Initiative to advance regional stability. Most significantly, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has emerged as a key platform for Eurasian states to coordinate on security, with the June meeting of defense ministers in Qingdao underscoring its role in promoting collective peace without resorting to confrontation or hegemonism. The NATO summit may have avoided naming China, but it failed to conceal the reality of growing confrontation. While the alliance doubles down on military spending and expands its strategic reach into Asia, the Global South and a number of key Asia-Pacific states appear increasingly wary of NATO's global ambitions. As the world stands at a strategic crossroads, two competing visions of international security are on display. On one side, NATO and its partners advocate a "rules-based order" backed by military alliances and deterrence. On the other, China offers a model grounded in multipolarity, multilateral cooperation, consensus-building, and mutual respect. The choice, increasingly, is not between East vs. West - but between confrontation and coexistence. (
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Climate and empowering women must be a priority, development bank bosses say
Nadia Calvino, President of the European Investment Bank, attends an interview with Reuters, during the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, in Seville, Spain, July 1, 2025. REUTERS/Claudia Greco SEVILLE, Spain (Reuters) -Multilateral development banks need to sharpen their focus on delivering climate action and on empowering women, the heads of two major MDBs in Asia and Europe told Reuters, as they face calls to be bolder, more flexible and inclusive. The president of the European Investment Bank, Nadia Calvino, and of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Jin Liqung, spoke on the sidelines of the once-a-decade United Nations development financing summit taking place in Seville. The event is overshadowed by criticisms it has shown a lack of ambition and by the absence of the United States, the biggest provider of international aid until U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office early this year. Trump has also withdrawn the United States from U.N. efforts to counter climate change and sought to reverse policy on inclusivity, making many companies and institutions across the globe reticent about championing diversity and sustainability. The AIIB's Jin welcomed civil society's push for MDBs to do more on climate as a "positive force for innovation and greater impact". The AIIB supported "climate-resilient" infrastructure under a broader definition that includes digital, health, and education infrastructure, he said. The EIB's Calvino said high-level climate commitments must translate into tangible investments and projects, naming as an example an initiative for climate-related debt clauses that allows vulnerable countries to pause repayments after disasters. The pre-summit outcomes agreement between U.N. members included a pledge to triple multilateral lending capacity. The U.S. said that crossed one of its red lines as it interfered with the MDBs' independence. Asked about French President Emmanuel Macron's call for MDBs to sacrifice stellar credit ratings to hit those new targets, Jin proposed rating agencies apply different standards to MDBs instead of those used for commercial banks or private companies. Calvino said the current system worked well, with the EIB's AAA rating enabling it to take on higher-risk investments and leverage EU guarantees. The U.S. also objected to the use of the word gender in the outcomes document, saying it did not support "sex-based preferences". Calvino, the EIB's first woman president, said empowering women was "both the right and the economically smart choice ... a no-brainer". Jin said female empowerment was key in the AIIB's investment decisions, pointing to a rural road project in Ivory Coast connecting female agriculturalists in previously isolated villages to main markets to sell products such as cashews and coffee beans. (Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Aislinn Laing and Barbara Lewis)
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
John Lee vows to be ‘reformer' as Hong Kong shows benefits of security to world
Hong Kong's leader has vowed his team will be 'reformers' who rise to challenges rather than become 'complacent idlers', pledging to seize development opportunities to let the city showcase 'the certainties of safety and stability' the world needs in the face of geopolitical tensions, as he enters his fourth year in office. In a speech to mark the 28th anniversary of the city's handover to Chinese rule on Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu laid down three governance priorities: boosting development backed by security; expediting the Northern Metropolis megaproject near the border with mainland China; and improving residents' livelihoods. The day's celebrations began with a flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square in the morning, followed by a reception where Lee gave the keynote address. Throughout the day, residents and tourists took advantage of free museum visits, complimentary transport rides and discounted meals as part of the government-coordinated festivities. Authorities also adorned the city with 130,000 decorations, including national and city flags. But some residents chose to spend the public holiday in Shenzhen, disappointing some restaurants in Hong Kong. In his speech, Lee reaffirmed his determination to undertake reforms, pledging to fully seize opportunities to demonstrate 'the certainties of safety and stability' that the world needed. He cited a Chinese saying that described a hard task becoming easy through determined effort and an easy task growing difficult due to inaction. 'We would rather be reformers who rise to challenges than become complacent idlers,' Lee said at a reception held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. 'Amid an ever-changing geopolitical landscape and constantly increasing uncertainties, Hong Kong is able to showcase exactly to the world the certainties of safety, stability and development opportunities. These are precisely what the world needs and seeks.' Hong Kong had been 'a place where national and global opportunities converge', he said, adding that the chances available to Hong Kong still outweighed the challenges it faced amid economic restructuring, thanks to the advantages of the 'one country, two systems' governing principle. 'As long as we are determined to fully seize the opportunities, keep enhancing our value and competitiveness, undertake reforms for progress and foster innovation, I am confident the wisdom and experience of the people of Hong Kong will help our 'Pearl of the Orient' shine brighter than ever on the world stage,' Lee said. Elaborating on his three priorities, Lee vowed to safeguard 'high-quality development' with 'high-level security', stressing the city would remain vigilant in safeguarding national security and fully seize national opportunities as it fostered economic growth. The government would also help companies upgrade their operations and expand in domestic and overseas markets, as well as introduce new technologies and industries to consolidate Hong Kong's position as an international financial, shipping and trade centre, he said. 'We will deepen international exchanges and cooperation, explore new markets and opportunities, bolster the provision of extensive supply chain services, and expand and strengthen regional trade with the aim of offsetting the risk of over-reliance on a single market in business trade,' Lee said. Lee also pledged to speed up the development of the Northern Metropolis, a project near the border with the mainland that aims to turn 30,000 hectares (74,130 acres) of land in the northern New Territories into an economic powerhouse and housing hub. 'By introducing new concepts and new methods, removing potential barriers and leveraging market forces, we aim to enhance the speed and efficiency of developing the Northern Metropolis, the San Tin Technopole and the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone,' he said. The government would focus on attracting top scientific research talent from around the world in a bid to promote the city as a hub for high-calibre talent, he added. Lee also said his administration would in the coming years 'proactively' improve Hongkongers' livelihoods in areas such as housing, health, education, welfare and overall quality of life, while pressing ahead with various railway projects. 'We will remain committed to the strategy of targeted poverty alleviation, focusing on directing resources to those most in need,' he said. Looking back on his three years in office, the city leader said he had built a 'result-oriented' government and 'rebuilt a safe Hong Kong' by enacting the domestic national security law. He also said his team had attracted more than 210,000 high-quality migrants and 84 strategic enterprises to Hong Kong, enhanced the competitiveness of the financial sector and shortened the waiting time for public housing by more than nine months to 5.3 years, among other achievements. The event at the convention centre was also attended by the central government's top representatives in the city, including new liaison office director Zhou Ji, Beijing's Office for Safeguarding National Security head Dong Jingwei, and Cui Jianchun – the nation's top diplomat in Hong Kong. Police ramped up security at the site, as well as at some major tourist spots and in commercial districts. Other celebratory events included two major horse races at the Sha Tin Racecourse, which also featured live music, a fishing boat parade in Victoria Harbour and a fun run with participants carrying national and city flags. Since last Saturday, Lee has highlighted 'reforms' in all his speeches and social media posts marking the city's handover. Over the weekend, he posted two videos on social media, both using a metaphor 'from a cocoon to a butterfly' to underline the importance of seeking reforms. On Monday, he pledged to strive to reform for a more prosperous Hong Kong in a speech. On the same occasion on Monday, Zhou urged Hong Kong to further embrace reforms to broaden its economy. On Tuesday, Mao Ning, the spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, posted two photos on X: one showing masked protesters brandishing umbrellas to shield themselves from tear gas in the 2019 protests and another dated 2025 showing national and city flags hanging between commercial buildings. She wrote that Hong Kong was 'headed to a brighter future of stability and prosperity'. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
