MILITARY and geopolitical experts dismissed Chinese state media’s warnings of war over the South China Sea following US Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson’s statement that China should be barred from reclaimed islands. Experts said China’s military and economic reach, as well international alliances, were not enough to sustain a war. Antonio Santos, former undersecretary for […]

FOREIGN Secretary Perfecto Yasay recently revealed that the Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest with China through a third person note verbale, upon verification of the report by the Washington-based CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative that China appears to have built anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapons on its man-made islands in the disputed waters of the […]

The South China Sea is developing at an extraordinarily rapid rate and the events that transpire in the region in the next two to three years will be some of the most significant geopolitical events in the world. Inside the South China Sea Region are five claimants, hundreds of contested geological features, and two major […]

Vietnam Signals Softer Stance on Contested South China Sea TAIPEI — Vietnam shows signs of softening its approach toward China over their bitter maritime dispute, a move welcomed by nervous leaders in Beijing as it could rebalance Hanoi’s foreign policy away from Washington while cooling decades of strife. Beijing and Hanoi issued a communique Saturday […]

China’s deployments of technological assets to the South China Sea may be aiding its efforts to dominate one of the world’s most contested waterways. Other regional claimant states lack the capabilities to compete with China’s maritime technology, and the U.S. deploys its strategic assets on a non-permanent basis. China, on the other hand, has deployed […]

Philippine president’s softer tone is music to the ears of Japan’s Abe Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte acknowledged the importance of his country’s alliance with the U.S. in a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Friday, delighting his guest, who sees American involvement in Asia as essential for countering the rise of China. The two […]

A Chinese national flag flutters at the headquarters of a commercial bank on a financial street near the headquarters of the People’s Bank of China, China’s central bank, in central Beijing November 24, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon/Files A Chinese national flag flutters at the headquarters of a commercial bank on a financial street near the […]

India to Test Nuclear-Capable Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile In fact, India has been helping Vietnam’s defence modernization when it is trying in confrontation with China on the South China Sea issue. It recently underwrote the costs of four patrol boats that it will build especially for Vietnam. Akash is a medium range air-to-air missile system developed […]

Since last year’s surprising election of Donald Trump, Beijing has looked to up the stakes and increase its leverage in the disputed South China Sea. This past December, China seized a U.S. Navy unmanned underwater vehicle near the Philippines. The seizure was made outside of Beijing’s expansive and ambiguous “nine-dash line.” While the drone was […]

MANILA – The visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the Philippines is more beneficial for Japan since Tokyo is moving towards a more stable and secured position in the region, an analyst said. Historian and University of the Philippines-Diliman Professor Ricardo Jose thinks Japan gained more during Abe’s visit since they are in […]