On October 27, 2015, the USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef and other features in the Spratlys. The Lassen’s operation was the first of three innocent passage freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) served up by the U.S. Navy in the South China Sea since China constructed […]

Relatively minor achievement underscores difficulty in resolving competing territorial claims in the area VIENTIANE, Laos—China and Southeast Asian nations agreed to create a telephone hotline as a fresh step to help avoid accidental military clashes in the South China Sea. Wednesday’s relatively minor achievement, however, only underscored the continuing difficulty in resolving the competing territorial […]

MANILA – The situation in Scarborough Shoal “has not changed” and China is not building an artificial island in the disputed area, China said in a statement on Wednesday. “There are no dredging or building activities there,” said the Chinese Embassy in Manila, dismissing speculations that barges spotted by the Philippines in the West Philippine […]

The Philippines released photos Wednesday to back its claims that China had secretly begun work to cement control over a crucial shoal in the hotly contested South China Sea. The release of the images, which claimed to show Chinese ships preparing to build an artificial island on Scarborough Shoal, came hours ahead of a meeting […]

SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – A motion to create a “marine peace park” in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) has been filed with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Antonio Claparols, president of the Ecological Society of the Philippines, confirmed this to Rappler on Wednesday, September 7. His group was among those […]

HANGZHOU, China — An unusually large number of Chinese vessels have been positioned close to a disputed reef in the South China Sea near the coast of the Philippines for the last week, despite warnings by the United States that China should stay away. The Philippine Defense Department has photographs of four Chinese Coast Guard […]

President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) criticism of a recent international court ruling that Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) was legally a “rock” has tainted Taiwan’s image in the international law community, highlighted the legal bind of Taiwan’s claim to sovereignty over Itu Aba and allied Taiwan with China in a South China Sea territory dispute, […]

The Philippines has asked China to explain the increased presence of Chinese vessels near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, the defense secretary said Sunday, expressing “grave concern.” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said a Philippine Air Force plane saw four Chinese coast guard ships, two barge-like vessels and two suspected troop ships […]

VIENTIANE – The Philippines expressed “grave concern” on Sunday and demanded an explanation from China’s ambassador over what it said was an increasing number of Chinese boats near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. A Philippines Air Force plane flew over the rocky outcrop on Saturday and spotted more boats than usual […]

China’s president Xi Jinping has rejected criticism from US President Barack Obama over Chinese policy in the South China Sea. The rejection comes amid ongoing US-China tensions on the sidelines of the Group of 20 Summit being held in China. In discussions before the G20 summit with Obama, Xi urged the US to play rather […]