SINGAPORE — China is rapidly building coast guard ships, the vessels that China most commonly uses for patrols in the South China Sea, and in the last three years has increased the number of ships in that category 25 percent, a new report by the United States Navy says. China has the world’s largest coast […]
The April 9 editorial “ ‘Great Wall of sand’ ” asked the right question: “Why is China paving over these Pacific atolls?” The “why” is clear: to gain unchallenged hegemony in the South China Sea. And the threat is stark: The sea is a vital commercial and security link between the Pacific and Indian oceans. […]
When Hillary Clinton joined Barack Obama’s “Team of Rivals” in 2009 she announced her foreign policy priorities by flying straight to Tokyo, Jakarta, Seoul and Beijing. This realignment from George W. Bush’s adventures in Iraq grew into her “pivot” to Asia, and Obama’s “rebalancing” and, eventually, a region-wide hedge against Chinese aggression. In contrast, when […]
Zhang Wenmu [张文木] is a major fixture of the Chinese foreign policy debate. Unlike many of his colleagues in the Beijing foreign policy scene, he does not frequent seminars and workshops with Western counterparts. He has remained noticeably apart from the “jet-set” of Beijing talking heads that are racking up thousands of airline miles with […]
The Chinese Navy in in the process of commissioning three new nuclear-powered attack submarines, according to China Daily. The report, quoted on the website Defense Tech, furthermore notes that the new vessels will be equipped with a new vertical launching system capable of firing supersonic anti-ship missiles. The “new” SSNs are in fact, upgraded versions of the […]
MANILA – China’s land reclamation activities at Panganiban Reef, internationally known as Mischief Reef, could be its first step in gradually restricting the Philippines’ access to Ayungin Shoal and the Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea. But for one analyst, the bigger objective of China is to put in place a “strategic triangle” in […]
(Reuters) – China’s plans for islands it is creating in the South China Sea show for the first time the scale of civilian architecture it will extend across the disputed waterway, entrenching its reach in the maritime heart of Southeast Asia, experts say. China’s Foreign Ministry gave rare detail on Thursday, saying reclamation and building […]
On Thursday, the the U.S. and Indonesian navies carried out a joint maritime air patrol in the waters around the Natuna archipelago. The patrol involved 88 personnel overall. The United States committed a P-3C Orion fleet comprising four ships and 21 personnel. In terms of Indonesian hardware, the Indonesian navy committed CN-235 and NC-212 short […]
Washington: The clusters of Chinese vessels busily dredge white sand and pump it onto partly submerged coral, aptly named Mischief Reef, transforming it into an island. Over a matter of weeks, satellite photographs show the island growing bigger, its few shacks on stilts replaced by buildings. What appears to be an amphibious warship, capable of […]
MANILA – The Department of National Defense (DND) on Thursday expressed deep concern over China’s reclamation project on Mischief Reef, one of the disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea. “It’s a major or critical concern. They have to dismantle it. It’s a concern not only for our country and region but for the whole […]