When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Hanoi early last month, he did so with understandable fanfare and scrutiny. His was the first visit to Vietnam by a Chinese president in a decade. It came just weeks before the annual ASEAN and East Asia Summits, and only a few months ahead of the Vietnamese Communist Party […]
The Chinese navy will continue to increase its forays and deployments around the globe. Beijing will put considerable effort into establishing a capable and expansive logistics network to support its increasingly global operations. Nevertheless, given limited onshore options, China will rely heavily on supply ships to replenish its warships while at sea. ON Nov. 26, […]
On Dec. 7, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen announced the first rotational deployment of a Poseidon 8 airplane to Singapore. The jet is the U.S. Navy’s next-generation long-range maritime patrol, anti-submarine, anti-shipping, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance asset. Some argue that this does not signify anything new and should […]
This was the grim scenario portrayed by Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio at a lecture Friday on China’s burgeoning influence over the South China Sea. Carpio, who spoke at the invitation of the Ateneo de Davao University on “The South China Sea/West Philippine Sea Dispute,” said the Chinese government is trying to wield control, even […]
The Coral Triangle section of the South China Sea is one of the richest marine ecosystems anywhere on Earth. It is recognized as the global center of marine biodiversity and a global priority for conservation. It is also called the “Amazon of the seas.” Today this region is under threat: China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, […]
DAVAO CITY — A high-ranking official of the Supreme Court said the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at the Hague is expected to issue a decision on the Philippines’ territorial dispute with China before the May 2016 elections. But at the same time, Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio warned of Beijing’s continued military buildup […]
TAIPEI, TAIWAN— Two Taiwan government officials visited an islet in the heavily disputed South China Sea on Saturday to kick off operations at a lighthouse. The trip is likely to irritate rival maritime claimants China and Vietnam but not touch off a major dispute. Taiwan’s ministers of the interior and coast guard head flew to […]
Underestimating the United States commitment in Asia would be a “severe miscalculation,” one of America’s top defense official for Asia warned Tuesday in a speech in Washington, D.C. “U.S. commitment to Asia should not be underestimated, and to do so would be a severe miscalculation,” Abraham Denmark, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for […]
America’s former naval commander in the Pacific says, ‘Going to the international tribunal to challenge China on the 9-dash line was a very brave step by the Filipino government’ MANILA, Philippines – “The Philippines is a true leader in Southeast Asia on rule of law issues.” The former commander of American forces in the Pacific […]
Of all the countries on Earth, only Taiwan agrees with and supports all of China’s legal claims in the South China Sea. And Taiwan isn’t even considered to be a country by China, the U.S., and most other nations. But China’s government appears to view the South China Sea as an opportunity for cooperation between […]