Monthly Archives: February 2016

China defends radar in Spratlys

China says its construction work in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) “cannot be questioned” after a U.S. think tank reported that recent satellite images show China may be installing a high-frequency radar system in the Spratly Islands. BEIJING – China said on Tuesday that construction work in the disputed West Philippine Sea […]

China ‘building secret military weapons’ on tiny islands

CHINA appears to be building military-grade radar on key shipping routes, in a move that’s filling other world powers with fear. Satellite images show what look like high frequency radar, communication towers and observation posts under construction on Cuarteron Reef, the southern most of a chain of seven disputed islands in the South China Sea. […]

SOUTH CHINA SEA MISSILES AND NORTH KOREAN NUKES: CHINA GAMBIT TO STUMP U.S.?

The South China Sea being militarized by China has become a more complicated scenario, as the United States banks on China to stop North Korea’s nuclear tests. The U.S. failure to make Pyongyang cease and desist with its nuclear ambition is seen by pundits as having emboldened China, through its spokesperson, to tell the U.S. […]

Vietnam Adds Military Muscle as South China Sea Tensions Escalate

Vietnam was the world’s eighth-largest arms importer from 2011-2015, leaping from 43rd place in the previous five-year period MANILA—Rising tensions in the South China Sea have turned Vietnam into one of the world’s most active arms importers, with Hanoi buying more weaponry than wealthy neighbors South Korea and Singapore as it tries to counter China’s […]

South China Sea: DFAT talking points outline Australia’s position on growing China tensions

A satellite image shows an island in the South China Sea. PHOTO: Last week China was found to have deployed a surface-to-air missile on the disputed Woody Island. (Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/Centre for Strategic and International Studies) RELATED STORY: Australia should put warships near contested islands in South China Sea, US admiral saysRELATED STORY: Labor […]

Assertions in South China Sea

On 29 October 2015, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, constituted to adjudicate on the claims of Philippines in South China Sea, decided that the country was well within its rights in filing the case. Ignoring the clear provisions of Article 288(4) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), China rejected […]

President Barack Obama and the leaders of Southeast Asia have called for peaceful resolution of the region’s maritime disputes as they concluded a summit in California

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) — President Barack Obama and the leaders of Southeast Asia called Tuesday for peaceful resolution of the region’s maritime disputes as they concluded a summit in California. Obama told a news conference that disputes must be resolved by legal means, including a case brought by the Philippines challenging China’s sweeping claims […]

Ripples and rumbles over the South China Sea

After the conclusion of the 27th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits chaired by Malaysia here in late November 2015, I felt optimistic the year 2016 might see a lessening of tensions in the South China Sea and perhaps even witness a Code of Conduct being signed between all the claimant states. I suppose this was […]

New Possible Chinese Radar Installation on South China Sea Artificial Island Could Put U.S., Allied Stealth Aircraft at Risk

A possible new Chinese radar installation in the South China Sea could put American and allied stealth aircraft at risk as part of a wider detection network similar to U.S. efforts to find Russian bombers in the Cold War. Late January satellite imagery from the Center for Strategic and International Studies and DigitalGlobe show the […]

China Minister to Talk South China Sea on US Visit

China’s Foreign Minister will visit the United States to talk about East Asian territorial and defense issues. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will host Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for talks from Tuesday to Thursday. The visit comes at an intense time in relations between the two powers. The U.S. and China face the […]