SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Friday that China’s militarization of the disputed South China Sea had been “excessive.” Shanahan, speaking with reporters in Singapore on the sidelines of a defense forum, said China’s actions in the South China Sea, like installing surface to air missiles, was “excessive” and “overkill.” […]

The Trump administration’s top Defense official took aim Friday at China’s buildup of military forces and defenses on islands in the disputed South China Sea. At a press conference in Singapore, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan referred to China’s forces in the region as “overkill,” and “excessive” for patrolling Chinese interests in the region, according […]

  The Trump administration’s top Defense official took aim Friday at China’s buildup of military forces and defenses on islands in the disputed South China Sea. At a press conference in Singapore, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan referred to China’s forces in the region as “overkill,” and “excessive” for patrolling Chinese interests in the region, […]

  Singapore (CNN)The United States can’t fully trust China until Beijing starts playing by the rules. That was the overarching message delivered by acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan at Asia’s premier defense forum Saturday morning in Singapore. Speaking to hundreds of delegates at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Shanahan avoided calling China out by name, but […]

  MANILA, Philippines — Radio broadcaster Erwin Tulfo apologized yesterday for the unwarranted rants and foul language he used in his radio program against Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista, who did not grant him an interview. But Tulfo insisted that it is his “right” as a journalist to criticize government officials, adding he won’t take […]

  WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States military’s top general said on Wednesday (May 29) that Chinese President Xi Jinping reneged on promises not to militarise the South China Sea, and called for “collective action” to hold Beijing responsible. General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he was not calling […]

  SINGAPORE: Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe has reaffirmed that his country does not want any confrontation with the US in the South China Sea, Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Wednesday (May 29). Dr Ng was speaking to reporters after the two ministers held a meeting here, where they agreed to […]

  MANILA, Philippines — Filipino fishermen can still fish in the South China Sea despite China’s three-month fishing ban in the region, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said yesterday. The DND chief, in a live interview over Channel 7’s Digital News late Tuesday afternoon, said Beijing’s fishing moratorium covers only their citizens. “I don’t think (the […]

China’s ‘maritime gray zone operations’ target U.S. naval vessels. On Wednesday, General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, remarked that despite assurances that there would be no moves to militarize the South China Sea, China had built “10,000-foot runways, ammunition storage facilities” — and routinely deployed aviation and missile […]

MANILA, Philippines — The University of the Philippines Law Alumni Association said the detention of former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, their alumna, at the Hong Kong International Airport last week reflects China’s “strong-arming.” In a statement Tuesday, the UPLAA said that what happened with Morales, who is also a retired Supreme Court justice, “is a cause […]