Honduras Seeks Diplomatic Switch from Taiwan to China
Honduras Pres. Xiomara Castro on Tuesday announced on Twitter her government will seek to establish diplomatic relations with China, implying it will be severing relations with Taiwan....
Philippines
Philippines: Oil Spill Impacts Marine Life, Human Health
Last week, the MT Princess Empress — an oil tanker carrying 800K liters of oil — sank off the coast of the Oriental Mindoro province in the Philippines. The oil has now reached the shores of nearby areas including fishing villages, coating them in a thick and oily sludge....
Taiwan Warns China’s Military May Make ‘Sudden Entry’
Taiwan Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng on Monday warned that the country is on alert for a 'sudden entry' by the Chinese military into regions close to its territory amid rising military tensions across the Taiwan Strait....
Detained Philippines Senator De Lima Requests Release
As Friday marked the sixth anniversary of former Philippines senator Leila De Lima’s detention for allegedly enabling drug trades in a Filipino prison to fund her senatorial campaign, the politician filed a petition on Thursday requesting her immediate release, citing a lack of evidence....
Texas Land Bill Sparks Criticism
In the wake of Republican Texas state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst's proposed ban on certain foreign purchases of Texas real estate — introduced to the Senate in December — which includes Chinese nationals, some activists and politicians are calling the measure anti-Asian and xenophobic....
US Military Gains Expanded Access to Philippine Bases
The Philippines’ Department of National Defense announced Thursday that the US will be given access to four additional military bases in "strategic areas" of the Southeast Asian country amid persisting tensions with China over Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea.
International Criminal Court Reopens Philippines Drug War Probe
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday announced it is reopening its investigation into “crimes against humanity” in the Philippines that allegedly occurred during former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.