"As a member in the South China Sea, Taiwan should be included in the multilateral mechanism that seeks to address disputes in the region", he said. 

"We have to ask, what does Japan truly care about?" 

"The Philippines under Duterte decided that we had to address the overdependence on one major power whose capital is thousands of miles away and to pay attention to our neighborhood, particularly, to the biggest neighbor we have - that is China", Santa Romana said. 

Before that happens, China and the ASEAN countries said they will continue following a separate document called the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, or DOC, which among other provisions, commits the parties to "exploring ways for building trust and confidence.  on the basis of equality and mutual respect". 

On Wednesday, the two Chinese SU-30 jets approached a WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft - a modified Boeing C-135 - conducting a routine mission in global airspace in accordance with worldwide law, Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman Lt.  Col.  Lori Hodge said in a statement. 

Ever since China started constructing an artificial island near the Spratly Island chain in South China Sea, the world became alarmed to a possible militarization of the region.  They are controlled by Japan but claimed also by China. 

In 2013, China declared a formal Air Defense Identification Zone covering airspace over the islands and overlapping with airspace claimed by Japan. 

China has installed rocket launchers on a disputed reef in the South China Sea to ward off Vietnamese military combat divers, according to a state-run newspaper, offering new details on China's ongoing military build-up. 

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the drone flight is "a new type of action by China". 

Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said use of the drone aggravated tensions inflamed by what Japan says are a record number of scrambles by its Self-Defense Force aircraft in response to Chinese incursions in the last fiscal year. 

The director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Kenji Kanasugi, made a stern protest over the incident to the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo by phone, according to Reuters, citing ministry officials. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte prior to their bilateral meeting during the Belt and Road Forum, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 15, 2017. 

China routinely rejects Japanese criticism of such patrols, saying its ships have every right to operate in what China calls its territorial waters. 

On April 30, a statement at the conclusion of the 30th ASEAN Summit in Manila pointedly dropped references to "land reclamation and militarization" in the South China Sea that had previously been included. 

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A statement by Saudi energy minister on extension of oil cut agreement will be good news Nigeria, PREMIUM TIMES can report.  Since a low point in May 2016, United States producers have added 387 oil rigs, or about 123 percent, Goldman Sachs said. 

Rosenstein said the Mueller appointment was "necessary in order for the American people to have full confidence in the outcome".  The overall consensus among Senate members is that the Russian Federation investigation is getting more serious. 

She was freed Wednesday, having had her sentence commuted by outgoing President Barack Obama before he left office.  Police kept up round-the-clock guard outside the embassy until a year ago , when the operation was scaled back. 

Turkey's president told the United States it will not join any military operations that include Kurdish fighters in Syria.  What happened next has been described by the DC Police Department's Chief as a "brutal attack" on peaceful protestors. 

Gerard Collomb, the Socialist mayor of Lyon, France's third-biggest city, makes his debut in national government at the age of 69.  Bruno Le Maire, a German-speaking pro-European from the center-right Republicans party, was appointed finance minister. 

Utility companies in Oklahoma , Wisconsin and Iowa reported more than 15,600 customers were without power early Wednesday morning.  This item has been corrected to reflect that the tornado killed a man in northwestern Wisconsin , not the northeast of the state. 

Trump abruptly fired Comey last week, saying he did so based on his very public handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe.  Freeland said she expects the administration to send its notice soon announcing the upcoming renegotiation of NAFTA. 

Recently, reports started flooding in that Instagram's massive presence in the global market is stifling growth for Snapchat.  Snap ended the quarter with $3.24 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities. 

And in France, opponents of such reforms have already vowed to launch street protests against any attempt by Mr. Speaking in Berlin on the first full day of his presidency, he was joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel . 

Liverpool will be assured of a top-four spot if they equal or better Arsenal's result this weekend's set of fixtures.  Arsene Wenger has blamed Arsenal's away record for their failure to match Chelsea in the Premier League title race. 

Graham, R-S.C., who told the press: "I've asked Comey to come before the Judiciary Committee to tell his side of the story".  Trump may have been bluffing about the tapes, but if they do exist, the White House won't be able to protect them for long. 

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