China’s navy has launched annual war drills in the South China Sea with one of its most advanced warships, the missile destroyer Hefei. The exercises include simulations for breaking an enemy blockade and reconnaissance drills with submarine forces. Five other guided-missile destroyers, a frigate and a supply ship of the South Sea Fleet based in […]
Russia has been perhaps the most explicit in its desire to return to Cam Ranh Bay. Russian experts were hired for the recent modernization of the port, and Vietnam allowed the airfield to be used for refueling Russian bombers, prompting serious concern from the State Department. A base in Vietnam would be of largely symbolic […]
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines have agreed to conduct coordinated patrols in piracy-prone areas in the South China Sea and to set up crisis centres to respond to maritime emergencies, Indonesia’s foreign minister Retno Marsudi said on Thursday. The decision was made at a meeting of civil and military officials of the three countries hosted […]
The remarks were made in response to reports that the UN tribunal is to render its final decision in the coming weeks. The verdict is expected to turn out against China since Beijing shrugged off the case throwing into question its legality, saying that its falls outside the UN Convention of the Law of the […]
About 300 Chinese legal experts gathered in Changchun, Jilin province to discuss the case. Their analysis was unanimous: China should abstain from participating in the case, because the arbitration panel has no jurisdiction over the dispute. They believed China has legitimate rights under international law to reject the arbitration. “That is because the tribunal that […]
The Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs noted how U.S.-China cooperation can move the world forward on issues such as climate change, but also that U.S. and China have significant differences that could impede progress on enhancing the stability and prosperity of Asia and the world. Russel noted that the U.S. […]
TAIPEI – Legislators of Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) on Thursday demanded that the executive branch take tougher action against Japan, including use of military force, after a Taiwanese fishing boat and its crew were detained by Japan Coast Guard officials last month for fishing in Japanese waters. KMT legislator Liao Kuo-tung told a legislative committee that […]
In January 2016, Tsai Ing-wen was elected president of the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan). She will take office later this month. As the first president from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party in eight years, Tsai’s election represents a wildcard of sorts for the ROC’s ongoing claims in the South China Sea. Whatever course she […]
BEIJING (AP) — China is seeing mixed results in its effort to enlist friendly states in its push to exclude the U.S. and its allies from the festering South China Sea dispute, underscoring the limits of Chinese diplomacy despite its massive economic clout. Beijing won a major endorsement for its position with remarks by Russian […]
May 6, 2016 – With the radar of foreign diplomats, especially those from China, trained on the May 9 election, an eager wave of anticipation is in the air as they look forward to new nuances in the bilateral ties at the hands of the next Philippine head of state. With the brewing tension in […]