During a modernization briefing on December 17, Philippine Navy (PN) vice-chief Rear Admiral Caesar Taccad revealed future plans to acquire at least three submarines, as part of a follow-up to the ongoing 15-year P90-billion Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernization program. The South China Sea disputes are no doubt a key motivation, when the […]
The dispute involving China, Taiwan, and four Southeast Asian countries over territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea has been described as one of the world’s most complex and intractable international relations problems. Despite its regional and international ramifications, there is no clear roadmap for how it should be managed or resolved. […]
A new ship set sail Monday from Hainan Island for Sansha City on its maiden voyage to supply islands in the vast South China Sea. The civil ship Sansha I is the largest and most advanced vessel yet to supply and commute between Hainan Island and islets in the South China Sea. Sansha I is […]
While Malaysia remains fully committed to a “common ASEAN position” in terms of engaging China on the South China Sea disputes, it does not want this to affect its good bilateral relations with Beijing – as do several other ASEAN states. It is unlikely that KL will change its hedging policy. By Nguyen Huu Tuc* […]
Col. Jin Zirui of the Chinese Air Force Headquarters justified the ongoing construction of an airstrip at Fiery Cross Reef, one of the islands in the Spratlys that is being disputed by several Asian nations. The base under construction is intended as support for China’s radar system and gathering of intel, Asahi quoted Col. Jin […]
China’s shift away from muscle-flexing and a confluence of interests with a US-led order offer hope it will not continue to engender large-scale regional instability next year, says Yoon Young-kwan CHINA spent much of 2014 seeking to revive a concept that Japan proclaimed seven decades ago, when it was an imperial power seeking to impose […]
A nudge by air in 2013. A probe by sea in 2014. Will China take a crack on land in 2015? For the sake of world peace, let’s hope not. However, China’s nudge and probe record, especially over the last two years, should worry diplomats and alert headline writers. In 2013, China tested Japanese and […]
Satellite images analyzed by defense intelligence magazine IHS Jane’s show that China is reclaiming on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands a piece of land that bears the shape of a 3000-meter airfield and a harbor large enough to receive tankers and major warships. This is not the first, but the latest in a […]
Is it time for Japan to consider acquiring nuclear weapons? What about America’s nuclear forces? Are they the right size for today’s challenging international landscape? TNI’s Executive Editor, Harry J. Kazianis, spoke with Christine M. Leah, a postdoctoral Grand Strategy Fellow at Yale University to explore these topics and more. Also, please see Ms. Leah’s […]
Russian Arctic offshore energy efforts are in a period of unwelcome pause, and the flight of Western companies in the face of sanctions imposed by their home countries has left the future of these efforts up in the air. But this state is unlikely to last for long. Western firms have left incredible opportunity in […]