TAIPEI — The United States sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday in the first such operation this year, the Taiwan government said, as it increases the frequency of transits through the strategic waterway to the concern of China. The passage by the U.S. ships will likely be viewed in Taiwan as a […]
Generals view the country as the jewel of the first island chain and essential for control of the China sea No sooner had he achieved president-for-life status than the daggers were being honed on the continuing American trade war, the slowing economy and high costs of the belt and road initiative. For Mao Zedong invincible […]
After a major corporate bankruptcy of a shipyard located at a former US naval base known as Subic Bay, Philippine and US officials are concerned that a port near the disputed South China Sea could fall under China’s control. Officials, including the Philippine defence secretary, expressed concerns regarding the Chinese presence in the area, including […]
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (pla) is undergoing “transformational changes” to greatly boost the size of its navy and air force and to downsize its land-based army by nearly half, the nation’s official Xinhua news agency said on January 20. “This new data is unprecedented in the history of the pla,” the agency wrote. As […]
Earlier, the Chinese military mobilised its DF-26 nuclear-capable intermediate-range anti-ship missiles, also known as ‘Guam Killers’ for their ability to strike American military installations on the Pacific island, amid ongoing US ‘freedom of navigation’ missions in the South China Sea and through the Taiwan Strait. Chinese state television has released a video showing the People’s […]
TAIPEI — A Chinese missile frigate returned last week from a five-day, friendly visit to the Philippines — days after a Chinese fleet had visited Cambodia and half a year after a Chinese state firm started taking bids to build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, a sign of Beijing’s growing power at sea. Multiple media outlets […]
China’s graduated use of coercive instruments of national power in the South China Sea (SCS) constitutes an informed strategy.1 Such coercive gradualism is supported by gray zone tactics, which are measures that are aggressive yet designed to remain below the threshold of conventional military conflict.2 This combined approach minimizes international involvement, localizes issues, and ensures […]
A U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies report, “Illuminating the South China Sea’s Dark Fishing Fleets,” sheds new light on the size and behavior of fishing fleets in the Spratly Islands. The report reveals the presence of a large “dark fishing fleet” in the South China Sea and concludes that “most of these vessels […]
Defence Minister Christopher Pyne has called on Beijing to act responsibly in the South China Sea and avoid mimicking Russia’s “might is right” approach to diplomacy. But he urged Beijing to rethink its approach to the politically-charged waters of the South China Sea, arguing the world power was eroding regional confidence and increasing anxiety, including […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Navy’s top officer stressed the importance of his personal relationship with his Chinese Navy counterpart and in continuing a dialogue to minimize the risks from the obvious tensions between the two most powerful Pacific naval forces. “I don’t think there is any question that we’re in a competition and there are […]