Every year, about this time, the leaders of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) send their regards to Chinese sailors deployed overseas during the Lunar New Year. Every year these messages are covered by the Chinese press. Few in China pay attention to these reports. Fewer foreign observers even know of them, but they should. […]

Two Chinese companies are reportedly interested in buying the Philippines’ largest shipyard, once an important US naval base in the Pacific region. Some Philippine politicians have expressed concern over a possible Chinese takeover, saying it will be a very significant national security issue. An unexpected dilemma is brewing in the Philippines. Since the start of […]

ABU DHABI –The Chinese shipbuilder China Shipbuilding and Offshore International Company is developing a small unmanned surface vessel that China wants to function essentially like the uninhabited baby brother of a U.S. Arleigh Burke destroyer. The JARI USV is a 20-ton, 15-meter boat that is orders of magnitude smaller than the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s […]

BEIJING — This is our weekly look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves: The top American military commander in the Indo-Pacific […]

The United States has stepped up its freedom of navigation operations in the disputed South China Sea as it challenges Beijing’s efforts to strengthen its maritime claims in the region. American officials have signalled Washington will boost measures to counter China’s expansion in the area, and include allies in future missions, but observers say Beijing […]

THE US Navy sent two guided-missile destroyers close to the location of several territorial conflict zones in the South China Sea on Monday, prompting a brusque US justification for the move. The two guided-missile destroyers sailed near the Chinese manmade islands of Mischief Reef. Tensions in the region have soared recently as the US has […]

Sending its new aircraft carrier to the South China Sea is another desperate attempt by the former power to punch above its weight class. Sending its new aircraft carrier to the South China Sea is another desperate attempt by the former power to punch above its weight class. Britain’s armed forces are at their smallest […]

The US Indo-Pacific commander has urged America’s strategic decision-making body to increase financial investment in the region to counter China’s expanding economic and military influence. “Through fear and coercion, Beijing is working to expand its form of ideology in order to bend, break and replace the existing rules-based international order,” Admiral Phil Davidson told a […]

MANILA, Philippines — As the United States steps up its presence in the disputed South China Sea, the US Indo-Pacific Command confirmed that allies and partners will be included in future operations. Speaking before the US Senate earlier this week, Indo-Pacific Command commander Adm. Philip Davidson noted how other countries have started stepping up its […]

MANILA, Philippines — Following last Monday’s Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) 12 nautical miles from the now Chinese-occupied man-made island on Panganiban (Mischief) Reef in the West Philippine Sea, the US Navy vowed to continue naval operations to keep the disputed Spratlys open to all ocean-going vessels. US Indo-Pacific Command commander Admiral Phil Davidson told […]