MANILA, Philippines—China’s biggest military transport plane landed recently on Kagitingan Reef (Fiery Cross) in the West Philippine Sea, giving a glimpse of what could happen if the Chinese base there becomes fully operational. A Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Y-20 transporter was spotted on Kagitingan Reef last Dec. 25, Hong Kong-based news agency […]
SOUTH CHINA SEA TENSIONS ESCALATED AFTER INDIA AND JAPAN MADE A JOINT VOW TO ENSURE BEIJING’S TIGHTENING GRIP ON THE MOST COVETED WATERS IN THE WORLD DOES NOT SPIRAL OUT OF CONTROL, AND INTO CONFLICT. SOUTH CHINA SEA: MILITARY EXERCISES ‘MUST CONTINUE’ SAYS EXPERT India and Japan’s defence ministers, Rajnath Singh and Nobuo Kishi respectively, […]
Despite seeking a balance between the superpowers, Vietnam desires more robust security ties with Washington. As the incoming Biden administration formulates its South China Sea strategy, one regional partner that looms large is Vietnam. Over the last few years, tensions between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea have remained high, impacting fishing and […]
The exercise reflected a new emphasis on small, dispersed troop units and command centers, which are intended to be harder to locate and destroy. The simulation was one of the first to be directed from a command hub consisting of three armored vehicles that can be set up or moved in minutes and emit fewer […]
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has offered an olive branch to the incoming Biden administration, saying a “new window of hope” is opening. In a wide-ranging interview with state news agency Xinhua published on Saturday, he urged the Biden administration to adopt a sensible approach and restart engagement with China to get bilateral ties back […]
CONGRESS has approved a new $740.5bn (£541.9bn) defence spending bill overturning President Trump’s veto as a Senator warned of “World War III” with Beijing. This was achieved by a cross-party alliance of Democrat and Republican lawmakers. The bill included a five year $18.5bn (£13.5bn) ‘Pacific Deterrence Initiative’ to boost the US military presence in the […]
China flew its biggest warplane, the Y-20 transporter, to Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed South China Sea on December 25, satellite images show. The huge aircraft was seen on the airstrip on the militarised reef in the Spratly Islands but was not observed loading or unloading cargo. The images were posted on LinkedIn on […]
HANOI IS PROCEEDING WITH JOINT DRILLING VENTURES WITH JAPANESE FIRMS IN THE DISPUTED WATERWAY DESPITE THE FAILURE OF SIMILAR PROJECTS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES BUT ANALYSTS SAY CHINA IS LIKELY TO TEST VIETNAM THROUGH MARITIME PROVOCATIONS IF THE ENERGY VENTURES GO AHEAD When the Japanese energy firm Inpex in November settled a four-year legal battle against […]