MANILA, Philippines (First published Nov. 2, 7:05 p.m.) — The Philippines continues to bolster its military despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s move to improve relations with China, a defense analyst said.   According to Alexander Vuving of the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, the build-up of Philippine military forces has hit a plateau between […]

x The South China Sea is a major route for LNG trade, and in 2016, almost 40 percent of global LNG trade, or about 4.7 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), passed through the South China Sea.   The two LNG exporters Malaysia and Qatar collectively accounted for more than 60 percent of total South China Sea […]

(CNN)Japan’s relationship with the energy sector is, at best, complicated. Having virtually no oil, coal or natural gas to fire its power plants, Japan was forced to import over 90% of its energy in 2014. It is the world’s third largest importer of oil and coal, and the number one importer of liquefied natural gas. […]

  HONOLULU — While much of the world is focused on the ballistic missile and nuclear threat from North Korea, the U.S. military in the Pacific region is also concentrating on another potential foe: China.   “PRC is the most pressing threat in the Pacific,” one U.S. military official in the region said, using the […]

  A man scans the coastline Aug. 20, 2016 in Natuna, Ranai, Indonesia. Most Natuna locals work as fishermen. Amid escalated tensions at the South China Sea, Indonesia continues to maintain its sovereignty over the Natuna Islands through security patrols along Indonesia’s Exclusive Economic Zone. (Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images) China has been said to claim 95% […]

MANILA, Philippines — Palawan province in the Philippines could be within range of China’s fighter jets and cruise missiles if deployed on their reclaimed outposts in the Spratly Islands, according to a US think tank.   Washington-based AMTI Center for Strategic and International Studies made projections on the range of China’s jets and missiles based […]

Pelagic fishing has become an important part of Beijing’s national policy   Every time there is talk about a Japanese favorite seafood like Pacific saury and squid disappearing from tables due to a shortage in supplies, news reports tend to lay the blame on overexploitation of fish stocks by China. Very little is known, however, […]

  Beijing just unveiled a new tactic to assert its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.   Called the “lawfare” – or “legal warfare” – approach, China’s new strategy to control the resource- and trade-rich region shifts away from the former (and universally rebuffed) “nine-dash line” (NDL) claim to a more concrete – though […]

It may be time to pay more attention to Beijing’s moves against Japan in the East China Sea. Experts say that with China’s Communist Party Congress now concluded and perhaps after President Trump’s trip to Asia in early November, Beijing may escalate the moves it’s made near disputed territories in the strategic sea. Japanese analysts […]

Two of South Korea’s 24 nuclear reactors. The country has a huge stockpile of spent fuel from which it can extract plutonium — enough for more than 4,300 bombs, according to a report. Credit Jean Chung/Bloomberg, via Getty Images As North Korea races to build a weapon that for the first time could threaten American […]