TAIPEI — A surge in naval maneuvers in the South China Sea by Western allies this year is keeping China from any further expansion into the contested waters, analysts say. Vessels from Australia, France, Japan and the United States have sent ships to the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea in 2018. They believe the sea rich in […]

China has filed a case with the World Trade Organization against the U.S. to protest the Trump administration’s plan to put new tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports. China says the tariffs are illegal attempts at protectionism. China’s Ministry of Commerce announced it is pursuing legal remedy against the U.S. in a brief […]

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Analysts say joint naval exercises by the Philippines and the United States in the South China Sea are an indication the island nation is drawing closer to its former colonizer and historic friend after several years seeking warmer relations with the United States’ cold war foe, China. The exercises, July 9-16, include […]

The US Navy broke with its tradition of hyping up F-35 deployments when it sent the USS Essex jump-jet carrier into the Western Pacific with a deck full of the revolutionary fighter jets this week — and it could signal a big change in how the US deals with its toughest adversaries. When the USS […]

Tensions in the South China Sea have steadily increased in recent years in light of China’s enhanced island building activities, conducted to make room for what is now a string of fully fledged military bases, equipped with airstrips, electronic warfare equipment, and long-range anti-ship and anti-air missiles. The defense ministers of Australia, Japan, and the […]

On 12 July 2016, an independent arbitral tribunal established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) published a clear and binding ruling on China’s claims vis-à-vis the Philippines in the South China Sea. China’s response at the time was to dismiss the ruling as ‘nothing more than a piece of waste […]

Donald Kirk says US trade deficits make Trump’s aggressive strategy understandable, but China’s reliance on the US market has played a major role in keeping disputes – particularly over territorial waters – under control. As Trump hinders access, that could change How Trump could turn global asset bubble into weapon of mass destruction The global […]

China’s recent announcement encouraging the public to apply for the use of uninhabited islands in the Paracels may extend to the rest of the South China Sea if protest action is not taken, a maritime expert warned. “The Philippines, even if it’s not among the claimants in the Paracels, should file a protest as an […]

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) enters Pearl Harbor in preparation for Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2018. Twenty-five nations, more than 45 ships and submarines, about 200 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 27 to Aug. 2 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The […]