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The suspension comes more than a week after the American embassy in Manila, located near the Manila Bay, raised concerns that the reclamation projects in the area could harm the environment. (Bloomberg) -- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has issued an order suspending nearly two dozen land reclamation projects in Manila Bay to assess their environmental and social impact, according to his environment chief. [Extracted from the article]

The US embassy raised with the Philippine government concerns over reclamation projects in Manila Bay and ties with a Chinese firm blacklisted by the US for helping Beijing construct and militarize artificial islands in the South China Sea, the newspaper said. (Bloomberg) -- The Philippines will review all land reclamation activities in Manila after the US government raised concerns over the involvement of a Chinese company and potential environmental impact of projects, the Philippine Star reported. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong's embattled chief executive Carrie Lam announced plans to help first-time home buyers break into the world's least-affordable property market, as she seeks to quell protests fueled in part by the city's rising inequality. The cap for those wanting to borrow 80% of a home's value, meanwhile, will also be increased, to HK$10 million from HK$6 million, Lam said. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong's embattled chief executive Carrie Lam announced plans to help first-time home buyers break into the world's least-affordable property market, as she seeks to quell protests fueled in part by the city's rising inequality. The cap for those wanting to borrow 80% of a home's value, meanwhile, will also be increased, to HK$10 million from HK$6 million, Lam said. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that she expects the economy to have entered a technical recession in the third quarter, acknowledging the anticipated outcome of a slowing global economy and months of anti-government protests. "Housing is the toughest livelihood issue facing Hong Kong society", Lam said. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced moves to lower the high cost of housing in her annual policy address, which she was forced to give via video on Wednesday after opposition lawmakers disrupted her attempt to deliver the speech in the legislature. "Housing is the toughest livelihood issue facing Hong Kong society", Lam said. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- On a sweltering Sunday afternoon in Hong Kong's Sha Tin district, not long before police battled protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets in several locations nearby, eager homebuyers lined up for hours. In Choi's analysis, the overwhelming housing supply shortage -- about 38,000 units over the next six years by one estimate -- puts a cap on the scope for price weakness. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- On a sweltering Sunday afternoon in Hong Kong's Sha Tin district, not long before police battled protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets in several locations nearby, eager homebuyers lined up for hours. In Choi's analysis, the overwhelming housing supply shortage -- about 38,000 units over the next six years by one estimate -- puts a cap on the scope for price weakness. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- On a sweltering Sunday afternoon in Hong Hong's Sha Tin district, not long before police battled protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets in several locations nearby, eager homebuyers lined up for hours. Even as some protesters rail against stratospheric housing costs, there are plenty of bargain hunters willing to bet that prices won't fall much in an economy with record bank deposits and a chronic lack of supply. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- On a sweltering Sunday afternoon in Hong Hong's Sha Tin district, not long before police battled protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets in several locations nearby, eager homebuyers lined up for hours. Even as some protesters rail against stratospheric housing costs, there are plenty of bargain hunters willing to bet that prices won't fall much in an economy with record bank deposits and a chronic lack of supply. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports that Malaysia has announced a ban on all exports of sea sand since 2018 on environmental concerns. It mentions that Malaysia's sea sand will be limited for domestic use only and exports ban will not affect ties with Singapore as it is not related to the city-state's reclamation efforts according to Malaysian politician Xavier Jayakumar. It also merntions that Singapore looks to land reclamation as part of its plan to mitigate the impact of climate change.

City-state has been using dykes for land reclamation With almost one-third of Singapore just five meters above sea level, land reclamation isn't only a way to create more space, it's an environmental imperative. [Extracted from the article]

"Land shortage has constantly been troubling Hong Kong so there's an urgent need for us to increase land supply", he said. For more: Hong Kong Eyes Sea, Golf Courses to Solve Chronic Housing Crisis. [Extracted from the article]

Islands could house as many as 1.1 million people, Lam says Hong Kong will add artificial islands to counter a runaway property market that's made the city the world's least affordable for housing. [Extracted from the article]

Premier Thabane names police minister as tempoary replacement Lesotho's minister of defense and national security, Sentje Lebona, resigned, becoming the second cabinet official to quit, and fifth to leave, since the government in the landlocked African nation took office 15 months ago. Thabane reshuffled the cabinet in February, dismissing the minister of public Works, Lehlohonolo Moramotse, and the minister of health, Nyapane Kaya. [Extracted from the article]

"On Hambantota, the burden is off us, because China Merchants and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority have taken it over", Wickremesinghe said on the sidelines of a business conference on Monday. The administration's sale of the Hambantota port in a debt-for-equity swap to China has been criticized by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who had originally courted Chinese investment for his home district of Hambantota before losing power in 2015. [Extracted from the article]

Maldives under state of emergency as president battles court A power struggle in the Maldives, a tiny Indian Ocean nation known for scenic luxury resorts and crystal-clear blue water, is taking center stage in a wider battle for regional influence between India and China. [Extracted from the article]

China Urges U.S. to Abandon "Cold War" Mindset in Bilateral Ties China's National Defense Ministry said the U.S. should abandon a "Cold War" mindset and view Chinese national security and military efforts "rationally and objectively". The National Defence ministry's statement on Saturday came shortly after China's Foreign Ministry vowed to take "necessary measures" to safeguard its sovereignty after a U.S. warship entered waters surrounding the Huangyan Island in the South China Sea. [Extracted from the article]

China has begun work or completed building infrastructure on about 72 acres (29 hectares) of land on outposts in the South China Sea this year, according to a report by the Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. AttributionBrendan Scott: editor primaryAndy Sharp: by editor reporter secondaryDaniel Ten Kate: editor responsible. [Extracted from the article]

Dastyari told to resign Senate role by Labor leader Shorten Australian Senator Sam Dastyari resigned from a senior position within the opposition Labor party after an audio recording revealed he deliberately contradicted its policy on China's role in the South China Sea. [Extracted from the article]

Turnbull's government releases foreign policy white paper Australia has sought to balance its military alliance with the U.S., which bases as many as 2,500 Marines in the country, and China, a key buyer of its resources such as iron ore and coal. [Extracted from the article]

Both the Philippines and Vietnam have recently seen China disrupt oil and gas exploration in disputed areas of the South China Sea. Relations between China and the Philippines have opened a new chapter after Duterte's visit in October, China's official Xinhua News Agency quoted Xi as saying after the meeting. [Extracted from the article]

Xi, Duterte Are Like "Brothers", China Ties Are Good, Lopez Says "He considers the president of China as a valuable friend", Ramon Lopez said in an interview in Vietnam on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit. Duterte ordered his military to halt work building huts on a sand bar in the South China Sea after a protest from China in August, it was revealed this week. [Extracted from the article]

In contrast, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made only limited comments to the press during the gathering, leaving Wang to give reporters the only account of the pair's meeting. "But the capacity for China to make gains while the U.S. is enduring the dysfunction of the Trump administration is the reason I think we'll see more proactive engagements like Wang Yi's in Manila". [Extracted from the article]

China objected to wording of Asean communique released Sunday Asked whether China had ever pressured Vietnam to stop drilling, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that China has indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and urged against unilateral actions in the area. [Extracted from the article]

Tillerson "Emphatic" on Need to Halt South China Sea Buildup (1) Tillerson's remarks were more moderate toward China than President Donald Trump's comments during the campaign, when he called out Beijing over its reef reclamation, currency manipulation and trade policies. In his confirmation hearing in January, Tillerson compared China's actions in the South China Sea to those of Russia in Crimea, saying a failure to respond had let China "keep pushing the envelope". [Extracted from the article]

China indicated a continued slowdown in defense spending growth this year, as President Xi Jinping presses ahead with a sweeping military overhaul. Fu said China was committed to peace and described tensions in the South China Sea, where the country's land reclamation campaign has been criticized by the U.S. and rival claimants, as "easing". [Extracted from the article]

"People are really tired of the discord we have had": Tsang A survey commissioned by Hong Kong Economic Journal and conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that 33.5 percent supported Tsang and 30.9 percent backed Lam. [Extracted from the article]

Foreign secretary calls relationship with the U.S. "special" On Thursday, Yasay backed Duterte's recent tirades, saying the president's strong words and attacks had made the U.S. take notice of the Philippines instead of taking the country for granted. [Extracted from the article]

He said that Japan rejected China's Air Defense Identification Zone that encompasses islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Attribution Ting Shi: by reporter Jason Koutsoukis: editor Daniel Ten Kate: editor responsible Andy Sharp: editor Isabel Reynolds: by reporter. [Extracted from the article]

Philippine leader has taken more pragmatic approach to China While Duterte has said he'll respect the alliance he's repeatedly stressed the need for an "independent foreign policy" and questioned America's willingness to intervene if China were to seize territory in the South China Sea. [Extracted from the article]

Leaders avoid reference to sea dispute ruling against China Attribution Rosalind Mathieson: editor Chris Blake: by reporter Jason Koutsoukis: editor David Tweed: by reporter Angela Greiling Keane: assist Daniel Ten Kate: editor responsible. [Extracted from the article]

The Philippines has asked China via informal channels about the vessels that "were not fishing boats", said Ernesto Abella, a spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte. Attribution Rosalind Mathieson: editor Jason Koutsoukis: editor David Tweed: by reporter Daniel Ten Kate: editor responsible Cecilia Yap: by reporter. [Extracted from the article]

Pakistan's terminal handling capacity to increase by half Billionaire Li Ka-shing's Hutchison Port Holdings Ltd. is set to start its second Pakistan terminal after a five-year delay, giving mega vessels access to the coastal city of Karachi for the first time. [Extracted from the article]

Asean has history of disagreements over statements on issue The statement was withdrawn after China lobbied Laos as holder of the rotating Asean chair, a Southeast Asian government official with knowledge of the discussions said at the time. [Extracted from the article]

The U.S. has also made clear it opposes China's land reclamation and installation of military facilities on reefs and shoals there. China has said such operations exacerbate tensions and calls them a pretext for the U.S. to undermine China's claims. [Extracted from the article]

The annual dialogue concludes Tuesday and is being led by Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi on the Chinese side, and Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew from the U.S. Attribution Rosalind Mathieson: editor responsible Brendan Scott: editor Ting Shi: by reporter Keith Zhai: assist Nicholas Wadhams: editor. [Extracted from the article]

France will urge European Union nations to coordinate navy patrols to ensure a "regular and visible" presence in the disputed South China Sea, in the latest sign of international push back to China's expanded military clout in the area. A senior French official who traveled with the minister said the country will discuss plans with EU partners in coming weeks, with a focus on guaranteeing that EU navies regularly crisscross the waters. [Extracted from the article]

China Risks "Great Wall of Self-Isolation", Says U.S. (3) Defense Secretary Carter warns on South China Sea tensions Carter said the U.S. and China will sail together from Guam to Hawaii for RIMPAC, conducting seven drills along the way, including one focused on search and rescue. [Extracted from the article]

More broadly, the pace of China's land reclamation presents a "whole new circumstance for any particular law of the sea, territorial laws to deal with", Brownlee said. New Zealand sends surveillance aircraft regularly over the South China Sea, and they have never been directly hailed or asked to leave the area by the Chinese, Brownlee said. [Extracted from the article]

Defense Secretary Carter urges China to cooperate on security Attribution Rosalind Mathieson: editor responsible Tony Jordan: editor David Roman: assist Jason Koutsoukis: by reporter David Tweed: assist Andrea Tan: by reporter. [Extracted from the article]

Singapore views China's rise in Asia with "sublime acceptance", Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Thursday in an interview. Indonesia, which like Singapore is not a claimant in the South China Sea and has sought to stay neutral in the disputes, was forced to publicly chastise China this month after an incident involving a fishing vessel it said was detained in its waters. [Extracted from the article]

China coast guard ship collides with boat in Indonesian waters "Natuna belongs to Indonesia, it is very crystal clear that Natuna belongs to Indonesia", Marsudi told Bloomberg in an interview on Friday. [Extracted from the article]

11 projects up for bidding before Aquino's term ends in June The elections and policy uncertainty after Aquino are among risks related to PPP projects, BMI Research said in a Dec. 2 note. Attribution Siegfrid Alegado: assist Michael S. Arnold: editor Anand Krishnamoorthy: editor responsible Clarissa Batino: assist Ian Sayson: by reporter Jeff Sutherland: editor responsible. [Extracted from the article]

Images show China dredging and reclaiming land in Paracels China's South China Sea island-building has expanded into the Paracel Islands, according to satellite photos published as Southeast Asian leaders gather in California for two days of talks with U.S. President Barack Obama. [Extracted from the article]

Europe's largest port in Rotterdam is set to halt container operations Thursday as workers start strike action over possible job losses, according to a union official. Attribution John Deane: editor Alaric Nightingale: editor responsible Fred Pals: by reporter Rachel Graham: editor. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- China Builds Artificial Islands in South China Sea Artificial islands could help China anchor its claim to waters that host some of the world's busiest shipping lanes. [Extracted from the article]

Turnbull to Tell Abe of "Grave Disappointment" Over Whaling Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will use his first visit to Japan since becoming leader to tell counterpart Shinzo Abe of his "strong, very principled opposition" to the Asian nation's plan to resume whaling. Attribution Iain McDonald: editor Jason Scott: by reporter Andrew Davis: editor responsible Michael Heath: editor. [Extracted from the article]