Extradition

Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signalling the end of a massive maritime exercise, Taiwanese authorities said Friday.

China's defense ministry said Friday that any drills it may hold around Taiwan "are decided by us alone", as Taipei announced the apparent end of massive military exercises not formally declared by Beijing.

The Philippine Navy will persist with its regular maritime patrols in the South China Sea and continue with its "non-escalatory approach" despite China's recent deployment of military warships to shadow Philippine vessels in the contested waters, according to its spokesperson.

The Philippines stood before the United Nations on Tuesday, December 10 to assert its sovereign rights over Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc), a coral reef formation within the country's exclusive economic zone where China announced territorial sea baselines last month.

Former China men's national football team coach Li Tie has been jailed for 20 years, state media reported Friday, following a lengthy trial on corruption charges.