UNITED STATES Ambassador to the Philippine Sung Y. Kim said the visit of three US ships to the Philippines are “an important signal” of the US following developments concerning the disputed South China Sea. Mr. Kim was responding to recent statements by President Rodrigo R. Duterte that the US has not helped the Philippines enough […]

The carrier visits show ‘we care about developments in the South China Sea,’ says US Ambassador Sung Kim as America celebrates its 242nd Independence Day MANILA, Philippines – The 3 visits of US aircraft carriers to the Philippines this year show that America cares about the disputed South China Sea, said US Ambassador to the […]

Japan’s growing visibility in those waters reflects concern it shares with the United States over China’s military presence in a region through which trade routes pass that are vital to the Japanese and US economies Japan will send a large helicopter carrier to the South China Sea and Indian Ocean for a second straight year […]

Moscow and Beijing may sign agreements to build two more nuclear power units in China, according to Russia’s state nuclear power corporation Rosatom. “We’ve signed new intergovernmental accords with our Chinese partners for construction of the sixth and seventh Tianwan units and on provision of a new site for us,” said Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev […]

BRUSSELS/BERLIN (Reuters) – China is putting pressure on the European Union to issue a strong joint statement against President Donald Trump’s trade policies at a summit later this month but is facing resistance, European officials said. In meetings in Brussels, Berlin and Beijing, senior Chinese officials, including Vice Premier Liu He and the Chinese government’s […]

SUNGAI DUA: Malaysia’s stand in maintaining South China Sea’s status as a free and safe zone for all the countries in the region will be personally made known to China. Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is expected to visit China soon. He said he had personally conveyed Malaysia’s stand […]

Social network giant Facebook has complied with a request by the Vietnamese government regarding a wrongful depiction of its sovereignty. As of Monday afternoon, a map used for Facebook’s advertising tool was found to have completely removed Paracel (Hoang Sa) and Spratly (Truong Sa) Islands in the South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East […]

XI ASSERTS TERRITORIAL CLAIMS IN MEETING WITH US DEFENSE SECRETARY Chinese President Xi Jinping strongly asserted China’s determination to defend territory it claims, including in the South China Sea, in a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. While the tone of Mattis’ visit to Beijing was largely upbeat, Xi made sure to reinforce his […]

In recent weeks, there have been several commentaries reporting a temporary new norm in the South China Sea (SCS) – realpolitik’s triumph over moralpolitik and the rapid decline of regional U.S. soft power. But current developments suggest otherwise. Years of ill-advised U.S. acquiescence and accommodation (strategic patience and wishful thinking) in the SCS appear to […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a weekly look at the latest developments in the South China Sea, the location of several territorial conflicts that have raised tensions in the region. BEIJING — A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs […]