On March 23, Premier Li Keqiang, while on a visit to Australia, argued (rather implausibly) that China is not militarising the disputed South China Sea and that defence equipment including missile batteries installed on artificial islands were “primarily” for civilian use. He also insisted that China’s main concern was to improve stability and security and […]
“We tried to be friends with everybody but we have to maintain our jurisdiction now, at least the areas under our control [in the South China Sea]” declared Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines’ tough-talking leader, during a Thursday visit to the western island province of Palawan, where he met with military officers. “What’s ours now, at […]
A storm is gathering in the South China Sea, and it seems inevitable there will be a showdown between China and the United States over this vital global trade route. But the conflict is not just about power—it’s about the ideas that the two nations see as the heart of the heart of the international […]
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 […]