U.S.

to monitor South China Sea, talks with

Australia on regional defence

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The United States will monitor the South China Sea to see whether "de-
escalatory steps" are being taken, a U.S. State Department official said on Monday, a day after China
repelled U.S. pressure to rein in actions in the disputed waters.
The official spoke as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Sydney for a meeting with Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel and Australian officials to discuss increased defence and cyber security
cooperation.
A U.S. proposal for a freeze on provocative acts in the South China Sea got a cool response from
China and some Southeast Asian nations at a regional meeting at the weekend, an apparent setback
to U.S. efforts to thwart China's assertive moves.
"The immediate follow-up ... is to assess the meeting scheduled in a few weeks between ASEAN and
China at the working group and the senior official level to discuss what equates to the freeze," the
U.S. official told reporters.
"We will also be monitoring the actual situation around the rocks, reefs, and shoals in the South
China Sea."
China's Xinhua state news agency warned on Monday that "by stoking the flames, Washington is
further emboldening countries like the Philippines and Vietnam to take a hardline stance against
China, raising suspicion over the real intention of the United States and make an amicable solution
more difficult to reach."
"It is a painful reality that Uncle Sam has left too many places in chaos after it stepped in, as what
people are witnessing now in Iraq, Syria and Libya," Xinhua added in a commentary. "The South
China Sea should not be the next one."
Tension spiked in May when China parked a giant oil rig in waters claimed by Vietnam. The U.S. and
Philippine proposals aimed to prevent such action, as well as building and land reclamation work on
disputed islands being carried out by China and other claimants.
The rancour over the disputed sea has split ASEAN, with several states including some of the
claimant nations reluctant to jeopardise rising trade and investment ties with China.
China has been able to use its influence to block regional action on the maritime issue before, most
notably in 2012 when an ASEAN meeting chaired by Chinese ally Cambodia broke down in
acrimony.
"I think it's pretty clear, China's actions speak for themselves," U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel
told reporters at a briefing in Sydney, adding the U.S. position remained that such disputes should be
resolved through international law.

China's military tells soldiers not to spread
rumours
Reuters 7 hours ago
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Members of a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) honour guard stand behind
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's military instructed its soldiers on Monday not to believe in or spread
rumours and to oppose "political liberalism", following the fall of a former senior officer who has
been accused of corruption.
The government said in June that Xu Caihou, who retired as vice chairman of the powerful Central
Military Commission last year and from the ruling Communist Party's decision-making Politburo in
2012, would be court-martialed.
The military has since publicly pledged its support for the move and its loyalty to the party a number
of times.
In a front page story detailing new education and propaganda guidelines, the military's official
People's Liberation Army Daily said soldiers had to be "clear and steadfast" in their politics and
support China's ongoing reforms.
"Resolutely resist mistaken opinions that confuse public opinion and interfere in reforms; don't
make irresponsible remarks, do no listen to, believe or spread news from the grapevine and
resolutely guard against political liberalism," the newspaper said.
"From beginning to end it is absolutely necessary to uphold the absolute leadership of the party over
the armed forces."
President Xi Jinping heads the Central Military Commission, which controls the 2.3 million-strong
armed forces, the world's largest, and has repeatedly reminded them to be loyal to the party.
Xi has made weeding out corruption in the military a top goal. It comes as Xi steps up efforts to
modernise forces that are projecting power across disputed waters in the East and South China Seas.
China has not fought a war in decades.
The newspaper said military reforms were a key part of the government's overall reform package,
which includes further reducing the role of the state in the economy and easing of family planning
rules.
Xi has stressed the importance of reforming the military and the armed forces have a duty to follow
his words to the letter, the report said.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Paul Tait)

Firm expands in Davao, eyes foreign mart
Manila Bulletin 20 hours ago
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The Filipino firm that has made the Philippines the worlds second-largest market for a line
of breakthrough American natural and functional food supplements has put up its regional
headquarters in Davao City.
Now the Manila-based Forever Rich Philippines, Inc. (FRPI), with its new two-storey office at the
ATU Plaza on Governor Duterte St., is eyeing the vast foreign market through the relatives and
friends of Davao Citys overseas Filipinos worldwide (OFWs).
The city itself has its own fast-growing population of foreign retirees who, along with the OFWs, can
market FRPIs products overseas, thus generating dollar incomes from across the world to increase
the inflow of foreign exchange to the Philippines.
The FRPI also takes special notice of this city as a long-time capital of the East ASEAN Growth Area -
- a sub-regional economic cluster comprising Brunei and the northern parts of Indonesia and
Malaysia and several southern provinces of the Philippines.
We are pleased to position ourselves at the strategic economic center of the South, from where we
can expand our market reach to the rest of mainland Mindanao and its island provinces, said
Filipino-American business and civic leader and FRPI chief executive officer Susan Barlin.
Through Laminine and Omega Triple Plus, and our other new products in the pipeline, we will
share our Health, Education, and Livelihood Program, not only in and around this gorgeous city,
but also from this city to the rest of the world, Barlin said of the FRPIs HELP campaign.
Laminine and Omega Triple Plus are breakthrough products that have neither competitors nor
substitutes in the world market. Both are internationally patented and with government approvals
from various countries and regulatory agencies, including certifications for good manufacturing
processes and adherence to Muslim, Jew and Christian food production and consumption standards.
Moreover, both are backed by clinical studies on the young tissue extract, the main ingredient of
Laminine that has earned it a special feature in the American Health Journal.
Laminine is getting popular in the medical and nutraceutical fields for cell regeneration wherever in
the body it is needed most, while Omega Triple Plus promotes heart and vascular health at
unprecedented proportions.
In effect, both products help keep the human body young and healthy, and the person literally
happy, said preventive medicine specialist Dr. Arle Imperio.
Manufactured by US nutraceutical giant LifePharm, Inc. and distributed globally by marketing
subsidiary Life-Pharm Global Network, both Laminine and Omega are consumer products being
marketed through direct selling and networking by its individual distributors in the US, Canada,
Russia, Ukraine, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
South Korea eyeing Israeli rocket interceptor -
manufacturer
Reuters Sun, Aug 10, 2014
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An interception of a rocket by the Iron Dome anti-missile system is seen above the
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - South Korea is interested in buying the Israeli short-range rocket
interceptor Iron Dome, its manufacturer said on Sunday.
Iron Dome, which uses guided missiles to shoot down the Katyusha-style rockets favoured by
Palestinian and Lebanese guerrillas, has scored around a 90 percent success rate in the month-old
Gaza war, Israeli officials and U.S. observers say.
Yedidia Yaari, CEO of Iron Dome's state-owned manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
Ltd., said the system's performance had fuelled foreign interest in buying it, including by South
Korea, which is in an armed standoff with North Korea.
"It is very worried not only about rockets, but other things as well ... You can certainly include them
in the club of interested countries," Yaari told Israel's Army Radio, saying Rafael representatives had
visited Seoul to promote Iron Dome.
Yaari did not give details on how advanced such a deal with South Korea may be. Rafael has not
made public any foreign sales so far, saying it was giving priority to supplying Iron Domes to Israel,
which has fielded nine out of a planned total of 12 interceptor units.
Washington has extensively funded the Israeli deployment and supplies of interceptor missiles.
Defence industry sources estimate that each Iron Dome battery costs around $50 million and each
interceptor missile between $30,000 and $50,000.
Also participating in Iron Dome's production are Israeli defence contractors Elisra Group and Israel
Aerospace Industries The system uses some components made by U.S. defense contractor Raytheon
Co.
(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Jeffrey Heller, Larry King)

Duterte: No regrets if APEC excludes Davao
Manila Bulletin 20 hours ago
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Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte expressed no regrets when organizers of the 2015 Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting excluded this city for hosting.
In his regular television program Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa on Sunday, Duterte said he is not
aware of the reasons why Davao City was not included in the list.
I dont know why, Duterte said, adding that he has no regrets if APEC will not be held here.
If you skip Davao, well and good. Walay problema sa ako (No problem for me), he added.
Duterte said events such as conventions with national significance bears an added cost on the part of
the city.
I have to call in augmentations from the Army and the police, and I have to feed them, he stressed.
But Davao City is capable of hosting big events, Duterte pointed out, adding that this city had already
hosted a number of such significant events before.
We could even host the gathering of world leaders if they wish to come here, he added.
Malacaang recently announced the list of areas in the country where APEC activities will be held,
starting December.
In a memorandum dated July 22, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. announced the approved
areas that will host the APEC 2015, which include Metro Manila, Bagac in Bataan, Clark in
Pampanga, Tagaytay City in Cavite, Legazpi City in Albay, Boracay in Aklan, Iloilo City, and the
provinces of Iloilo and Cebu.