SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – To assert sovereign rights over Philippine territories in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), President Rodrigo Duterte said he has ordered the military to occupy islands there. “I have ordered the Armed Forces to occupy all the so many islands, I think 9 or 10. Lagyan ng structures […]
As China expands its influence in the disputed South China Sea, an arms race has developed among other nations with claims in the area. China claims most of the 3.5 million-square-kilometer South China Sea as its territory. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the waterway. The sea is rich in […]
Imagery released earlier this month indicates that China has nearly completed construction of several facilities in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Fiery Cross Reef has hangars, mobile missile shelters, and radar arrays. Mischief and Subi reefs house similar structures. In total, the Spratly Islands can now accommodate 72 combat aircraft and about […]
China’s sudden renewed interest in drafting a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea — by June this year — is sparking irrational exuberance in the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean). But the “framework” China is talking about is actually nothing but a skeleton of the agreement. It can be laid down […]
TAIPEI — China’s near completion of artificial islets and combat aircraft facilities in the Spratly Islands will give it extra power to make other countries keep out of the widely disputed South China Sea or get Chinese permission to use it, analysts say. Beijing is about to finish naval, air, radar and other facilities on […]
MANILA, Philippines — An internal journal of China’s armed naval wing is sending a message of dominance in South China Sea and two warnings on its possible future actions, an international security expert said. An article authored by South Sea Fleet officers of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy boasted military supremacy in South China […]
MANILA, Philippines — An internal journal of China’s armed naval wing is sending a message of dominance in South China Sea and two warnings on its possible future actions, an international security expert said. An article authored by South Sea Fleet officers of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy boasted military supremacy in South China […]
China is not militarizing the South China Sea, Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday, although he acknowledged that defense equipment on islands in the disputed waterway had been placed there to maintain “freedom of navigation”. China has drawn international criticism for large-scale building in the South China Sea, although Li told reporters in Australia the […]
Since his ascent to power, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has overseen a remarkable shift in his country’s foreign policy, particularly towards China. The tough-talking Filipino leader, who is as notorious abroad as he is popular at home, has described China as a friendly and generous nation, a partner for national development and a potential military […]
This week Japan said it plans to send its most formidable warship on a three-month tour through the South China Sea. Observers waiting for an angry reaction from China—which claims nearly all of that sea and was mighty testy about it last year—were likely disappointed. Here’s what Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying had to […]