The U.S. has been moving toward a “whole-of-government” approach to counter China for years, but the ultimate impact remains uncertain. In 2011, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) showed a two-episode series on China’s rise, which was titled “The Chinese Are Coming.” In this documentary, China’s economic expansion throughout the world was described in a […]

  MANILA, Philippines — Amid China’s activities in the West Philippine Sea, about seven in 10 Filipinos have expressed concern about Beijing’s growing military power, according to a Pew Research Center survey. The poll found that 71% of Filipinos said China’s growing military is a bad thing for the country while 24% of respondents said […]

  TAIWAN has risked the wrath of China by pledging to help displaced Hong Kong democracy campaigners, with Foreign Minister Joseph Wu fearing his people face the same treatment in the future if things get uglier. Meanwhile Chiu Chui-Cheng, another senior Government official, said help would be offered where it was deemed appropriate. Wu said […]

MANILA, Philippines — China has expressed its willingness to abide by international law after issuing a new policy on marine scientific research in foreign countries. Earlier this week, the Chinese Foreign Ministry (FMPRC) released a notice to Chinese groups or individuals seeking to conduct marine scientific research in other countries’ territory to get an “explicit […]

SOUTH CHINA SEA tensions have seen numerous Asian countries, the US, and a relentless China, tussle for influence in the region – but Beijing has also been embroiled in volatile exchanges with the UK as rivals round on the superpower’s takeover. The UK has helped the US in trying to thwart China’s growing authority in […]

  MANILA, Philippines—Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. on Wednesday recalled how the United Nations Security Council burst into a laugh when he made light of the Philippines’ longstanding maritime dispute with China. “[The Philippines] is way ahead of whites on climate change although at the UN Security Council I said the Philippines is ambivalent […]

  CHINA insisted that its territorial claims in the South China Sea are legitimate and conform to international law, as tensions between the superpower and its neighbours continue to simmer. The People’s Republic says that the entire waterway up to the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan belongs to them, a claim rejected by […]

KUALA LUMPUR — Though they don’t get as much attention as the Navy’s, U.S. Air Force has been conducting its own regular freedom of navigation flight operations in the South China Sea, Commander of Pacific Air Forces Gen. Charles Q. Brown told reporters on Friday. “We’ve been flying in and around the South China Sea […]

  SOUTH CHINA SEA claims from countries in southeast Asia have sparked political tension and ongoing disagreements over how the territory should be divided, and this has also led to a rampant militarisation of the region by China in the form of monstrous bases. Described by many as “island fortresses”, China has engulfed the South […]

  MANILA, Philippines — The United States Air Force (USAF) has been sending its planes and other air assets to conduct flight operations across the South China Sea to implement Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) in the region. US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) commander Gen. Charles Brown said the air operations run parallel to the […]