Part I There is much ambivalence in the stand of the opposition to the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking which the country entered into with China and hurriedly joined in by Vietnam at the suggestion of former Speaker Jose De Venecia. The JMSU was signed on March 14, 2005. The Bayan Muna and a string of […]

Competition with China can bring together Republicans and Democrats—and even inspire them to accomplish great things. The televised bickering between President Trump and top Democratic leaders illustrates that, if political leaders find any consensus in 2019, it won’t be on the border wall. Nor is it likely that Trump, the Democratic House and Republican Senate […]

China’s leaders will attempt to re-stabilize bilateral ties and ease tensions in its non-US relationships. At the same time, they are likely to use the next year to form a deeper judgment about the future of US politics and foreign policy. NEW YORK – Throughout 2018, much of Asia has been shaken by the new […]

South China Sea is a flashpoint in military buildup as China asserts control. This story is part of an ongoing series on U.S.-China relations, jointly produced by the South China Morning Post and POLITICO, with reporting from Asia and the United States. Rising tensions over Beijing’s accelerating military buildup in the South China Sea are […]

Over the last five years, China has turned its contrived historical claims to the South China Sea into reality and gained strategic depth far from its shores. China’s leaders did not leave that outcome to chance. MANILA – It has been just five years since China initiated its major land reclamation in the South China […]

MANILA, Philippines — China should follow international law and recognize an international court ruling stating that its historic claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis, according to a senior US defense official. Dr. Joseph Felter, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, told a small group of journalists […]

MANILA, Philippines — Despite close encounters at sea, the United States will not stop confronting China over its massive territorial claims in the South China Sea, as it presses to maintain freedom of navigation under international law. Backing down in the South China Sea is tantamount to rewarding China’s aggressive behavior, said US Deputy Assistant […]

CHINA has threatened to ramp up its aggression towards the US in the South China Sea, after military and government officials discussed the tensions and relations between the world’s two largest economies on Saturday. Chinese media has reported the situation in the contested South China Sea is on the brink of escalation. The claim was […]

At a conference hosted by the Chinese communist party-affiliated Global Times in Beijing on December 8, Chinese government and military officials discussed conflicts in the South China Sea and the state of relations between the United States and China. The Global Times quoted People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Colonel Commandant Dai Xu, who is […]

Beijing is setting up a new aircraft unit that will be crucial to its new southern bastion. There has been significant press attention to some of China’s shiny, new military toys, such as the DF-26 “carrier killer” anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM), the much-discussed J-20 fighter program , not to mention Beijing’s aircraft carrier program. Lately, […]