XI JINPING was delivered a critical blow to Beijing’s dominance in the South China Sea after one of its vessels finally left the region following a tense standoff. China and Vietnam have clashed over the presence of an oil survey ship, the Haiyan Dizhi 8, that has been stationed in Vietnamese-controlled waters. The vessel has […]

The secretary of the US Navy said on Wednesday that for the US to meet the challenge of countering the threat of China, it would need to take a page from China’s playbook and employ an “all of government” approach. Additionally, Richard Spencer said, that approach required a larger reliance on US allies in the […]

HANOI – A Chinese oil survey vessel that has been embroiled in a tense standoff with Vietnamese vessels in the South China Sea left Vietnamese-controlled waters on Thursday after more than 3 months, marine data showed. The Chinese vessel, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, was speeding away from Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone towards China on Thursday […]

  U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has said efforts to revive the Indo-Pacific security grouping known as the Quad will help the Washington contain China’s rise. “We’ve reconvened ‘the Quad’ — the security talks between Japan, Australia, India and the United States that had been dormant for nine years,” Pompeo said in a speech […]

  MANILA – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte should allow the United Nations to investigate his war on drugs, and abandon a deadly campaign that has been failure and a dent on the country’s international image, its vice president said on Wednesday. The crackdown has overwhelmingly targeted the poor rather than big drugs networks, Leni Robredo […]

  The secretary of the US Navy said on Wednesday that for the US to meet the challenge of countering the threat of China, it would need to take a page from China’s playbook and employ an “all of government” approach. Additionally, Richard Spencer said, that approach required a larger reliance on US allies in […]

  In this photo provided by the Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, right, meets with Indian President Ram Nath Kovind during his state visit to Manila, Philippines, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. TAIPEI – The Philippines has agreed to strengthen defense ties with India, an increasingly significant Western ally in Asia, as part […]

  Vietnamese President and Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong has called for restraint in the disputed South China Sea amid a tense months-long stand-off involving Chinese ships, state media reported on Tuesday. Mainland China claims almost all the energy-rich waters but neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. Tension escalated […]

  KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia needs to boost its naval capabilities to prepare for possible conflict in the South China Sea, its foreign minister said on Thursday, even as Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy pursues non-militarization of the disputed waterway. Tensions have escalated in recent weeks, especially after a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed near islands […]

  THE visiting commandant of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) is skeptical of China’s claim of a peaceful expansion, especially in the South China Sea where it has disputes with its neighbors, given its development of man-made islands and military fortresses, the goal of which is only to protect and advance its interests against […]