“We urge all parties, not just China, to refrain from further construction on those islands or reefs, and to refrain from militarization,” Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a speech during the Martin Luther King Day in the United States. Turnbull clarified that Australia does not have claims in the disputed sea and does […]

The number of military facilities China builds on its South China Sea islands will depend upon the level of threat it faces, People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) chief told his US counterpart on Wednesday in a video teleconference. Admiral Wu Shengli, PLAN commander, stressed that Beijing does not seek militarization. This month, Beijing landed three […]

The head of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy told his U.S. counterpart the installations China has constructed in the South China Sea aren’t a sign of an increased militarization in the region, but said China will protect its installations depending on the threat level, according to the Chinese Ministry of National Defense. The defense […]

BEIJING – The amount of military facilities China builds on islands in the South China Sea depends on the level of threat it faces although China does not seek militarisation, the navy chief told his US counterpart on Wednesday. Every year more than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped through the South China Sea, […]

MANILA – Beijing has called ”illegal” Manila’s plan to install a $1-million satellite-based system on Pag-asa Island to track commercial flights over the disputed South China Sea. ”China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands including Zhongye Dao,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei, referring to the Chinese name for Pag-Asa Island. ”Any activity […]

SOMETIME in February 1995, it was reported that China had built a number of octagonal huts on Mischief Reef in the Spratly islands group. The report was confirmed by Philippine Air Force air intelligence photographs taken by aerial reconnaissance missions that were sent to Mischief Reef by then Col. Melchor Rosales who was A-2 (Air […]

China’s ongoing reclamation of reefs to turn into an island on 5 strategic areas in the contested Spratly Islands well within the Philippine maritime zone are not mainly focus on constructing its military bases such as airstrip and garrison but also to build a man-made like beach resort similar to the Boracay Islands beach in […]

China’s recent acknowledgement that it is establishing its first overseas military base in the Indian Ocean rim nation of Djibouti, located on the Horn of Africa, represents a transformative moment in its quest for supremacy at sea. With Chinese submarines now making regular forays into India’s maritime backyard right under the nose of its Andaman […]

Now elected, she will have four months before she is officially inaugurated as the next President of Taiwan to convince Beijing that she has no intention to legally move Taiwan towards independence from China. Thus far, she has not responded to calls that clearly state her position on the One-China Principle. While this could be […]

President Ma Ying-jeou explains the importance of regional cooperation during a South China Sea international conference Jan. 19 in Taipei City. (CNA) ROC President Ma Ying-jeou reiterated the significance of his South China Sea Peace Initiative Jan. 19 in Taipei City, calling on all countries and territories in the region to promote peace through collaboration. […]