SINGAPORE — U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Saturday denounced China’s efforts to steal technology from other nations and militarize man-made outposts in the South China Sea as a “toolkit of coercion,” saying Beijing’s bad behavior must end. In his first major speech on the international stage, Shanahan mixed sharp criticism of China […]

The United States warned China on Saturday against threatening its neighbors’ sovereignty and said Washington is investing in new military technology to defend its Asian allies. Washington and Beijing have been vying for influence in the region, which hosts potential flashpoints such as the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait. Ties […]

BEIJING (AP) — China began two days of military training in the South China Sea yesterday, as its Defence Minister warned that China’s armed forces would “resolutely take action” to defend Beijing’s claims over the area. The China Maritime Safety Administration announced the drills were held all day yesterday and for half a day tomorrow […]

Three Chinese warships have arrived in Sydney Harbour amid increasingly strident rhetoric from Beijing over its territorial claims in the South China Sea. A People’s Liberation Army-Navy frigate, an auxiliary replenishment ship and an amphibious vessel are docking at Garden Island for a four-day stopover. The arrival, which was not publicly announced by the Australian […]

MANILA, Philippines — China has every right to deploy troops and build weapons on islands and reefs it claims in the South China Sea, two top-level leaders from Beijing said in response to criticisms of its aggressive militarization of the disputed area. Gen. Wei Fenghe, China’s minister of national defense, told an international security forum […]

At the Shangri-La Dialogue, the U.S. and China sparred over a range of issues from contested territory in the South China Sea to the ongoing trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies. Zhou Bo, a senior colonel of the People’s Liberation Army, said that “China does need to have necessary defense of these islands […]

  THE president of the Philippines has accused the US of “testing who can fire the first shot” as tensions mount over the disputed South China Sea. Beijing claims the majority of the South China Sea but this is contested by other countries including the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and Vietnam. The US does not […]

  BEIJING – China has closed off an area of the South China Sea this week for military training. The China Maritime Safety Administration says drills are being held all day Sunday and half a day Tuesday in an area near China’s holdings in the Paracel island group. China claims virtually the entire South China […]

  CHINA has fired back at the US after President Donald Trump’s defence secretary warned Washington would no longer “tip toe” around Beijing’s behaviour in the South China Sea. Patrick Shanahan used his speech at the Shangri-La defence forum in Singapore to condemn “actors” who seek to destabilise the region, but stopped short of naming […]

  Lieutenant General Shao Yuanming accused acting US defence secretary Patrick Shanahan of sending the wrong message to Taiwanese separatists. Photo: Minnie ChanLieutenant General Shao Yuanming accused acting US defence secretary Patrick Shanahan of sending the wrong message to Taiwanese separatists. Photo: Minnie Chan A senior Chinese military officer has accused the United States’ top […]