The Duterte administration’s appeasement policy is based on a quid pro quo with China and would result in the unraveling of his predecessor’s balancing policy on China’s maritime expansion in the South China Sea. Last month, President Rodrigo Duterte conveyed to his countrymen that he expected China to be fair on the South China Sea […]
If the two sides manage to reach an agreement, an outcome that is far assured given the myriad political and legal complexities, it could radically alter the dynamics of a vexing geopolitical dispute. Ahead of President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to Manila in November, the Philippines and China have taken a major step towards resolving […]
Beijing’s top military official posted to Australia has claimed freedom of navigation has “never been a problem” in the South China Sea despite the Chinese military aggressively challenging foreign ships and aircraft that pass through disputed waters or airspace. In rare public comments, China’s defence attache Senior Colonel Wang Jingguo said it was a matter […]
The top Japanese government spokesman said Tuesday a drill held last week in the South China Sea by a Japanese submarine and destroyers was “not at all” intended as a counter to China’s activities in the area. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the exercise in the South China Sea last Thursday was “aimed at […]
Shinzo Abe said the submarine exercise hadn’t been conducted with any specific country in mind Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe downplayed the significance of military drills involving a submarine in the South China Sea, saying relations with China are on the right track. Japan’s submarine exercise also involved five aircraft and three destroyers, on Sept. […]
China on Monday urged countries outside the region to behave with caution and refrain from activities that undermine regional peace and stability, after Japan conducted its first ever peacetime submarine drill in the South China Sea. “The situation in the South China Sea has cooled down and is improving,” Geng Shuang, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, […]
JAPAN has deployed a warfare submarine for a military exercise in the South China Sea, as tensions escalate between Beijing and Tokyo over China’s growing territorial base in the disputed region. For the first time, Japan’s defence ministry publicly declared engaging in a strategic military drill within a South China Sea. Tokyo revealed the submarine, […]
TOKYO — A Japanese submarine participated in war games in the South China Sea last week and is now visiting Vietnam, signaling a more assertive pushback by Japan against China’s territorial claims in the region. Japan took the unusual step on Monday of announcing that it had carried out the drills, which also involved two […]
China and the Philippines are negotiating a deal to jointly exploit oil and gas in the disputed waters of the South China Sea – despite an arbitration award which rejected China’s claims to historic rights over the vast majority of the maritime territory. https://globalarbitrationreview.com/article/1174055/china-and-philippines-negotiate-over-south-china-sea
We do not know exactly how many billions because China is not a transparent liberal democracy with independent budget accountability, but any number of Google Earth photographs reveal extensive work. It stands to reason, that China is not going to let this go to waste. And as China goes about its business of spreading its […]