Early this week, Japan and the Philippines conducted what was characterized by some as a joint maritime patrol near the South China Sea. While few specifics have been publicly disclosed, the engagement has nonetheless once again put the spotlight on the defense relationship between the two countries amid continued troubling developments in the South China […]

Detained Senator Leila de Lima described as hilarious the statement of President Rodrigo Duterte that China will protect the Philippines amid reports that the latter has installed missile systems in the Spratly Islands. “This is hilarious, because the only country from whom the Philippines needs protecting is China. Only Duterte needs China’s protection. The rest […]

AFTER years of maneuvering, China has gotten what it wanted all along: strengthen its control of the disputed territories in the South China Sea. Reports from the US network CNBC say it all. Chinese missiles (anti-ship cruise missiles and surface to air missiles) and missile systems have been installed in Kagitingan, Zamora and Panganiban reefs […]

According to none other than Xi Jinping, if Beijing hopes to achieve “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” by the middle of the 21st century, it is necessary that it become a “maritime great power” (海洋强国). What does this goal mean to China’s leaders, and what are the implications of Beijing’s latest round of […]

In its editorial, the paper draws attention to the decaying state of the Philippine-held islands in the disputed Spratly waters and calls for remedial measures. MANILA (PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – President Duterte has a standard response to critics who point out that despite the government’s deferential stance toward China, it has virtually taken […]

ZTE Corp. regards the next two weeks as crucial to resolving a U.S. blockade that’s brought its main businesses to a standstill and choked off revenue, signaling the potential collapse of one of the world’s largest makers of phones and networking gear. The No. 2 Chinese telecom equipment maker said Thursday it’s suspended all major […]

The security temperature in the South China Sea (SCS) has ratcheted precipitously in recent weeks. On May 2, news outlet CNBC reported U.S. intelligence that China has installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles on three fortified outposts in the Spratly Islands. This deployment follows the installation in April of jamming equipment that disrupts military […]

MANILA – China has deployed a military aircraft to a base it built on a reclaimed island in the South China Sea, photos from an American think tank released Wednesday confirmed. A Shaanxi Y-8 is shown in an airstrip in a base built by China on Subi Reef. Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative AMTI said the […]

As a seafaring state, America demands maximal access to the world’s oceans within the constraints of international law. Though seldom recognized, U.S. efforts to defend its interest in maritime freedom in the Western Pacific have been fairly successful. When the People’s Republic of China unlawfully draws “fences” around the sea, U.S. warships steam through the […]

Well, it was hardly surprising when the news came out: Beijing has based – permanently, perhaps – offensive weapons on the artificial islands it has painstakingly constructed in the South China Sea. These deployments cap a series of deceptions, increasingly belligerent military actions, and various illegal activities that have surrounded Chinese goings-on in the region […]