Never underestimate Chinese engineering. First the Great Wall, then the Grand Canal, and now the Great Wall of Sand. China is rapidly augmenting features in the South China Sea (SCS) on industrial scale—hundreds of acres (more than 4 square km)—that even its neighbors combined cannot match. “Features,” is the key word here, because many were previously […]
Beijing’s new land-reclamation strategy in the South China Sea has been ringing alarm bells in the region and has prompted the U.S. to accuse China of attempting to force its way to de facto control of disputed waters. Several high-definition satellite images surfaced this month of China’s land reclamation and construction on Mischief Reef in […]
Concerned nations should also demand that the Chinese pledge that they will refrain from using these new outposts for destabilizing and coercive conduct. This should include promises not to interfere with freedom of navigation and to forego establishing an ADIZ over disputed maritime areas. To make such commitments palatable to Beijing, they could be included […]
WASHINGTON – China could eventually deploy radar and missile systems on outposts it is building in the South China Sea that could be used to enforce an exclusion zone over the disputed territory, the US military commander for Asia said on Wednesday. Admiral Samuel Locklear, speaking at a congressional hearing in Washington, described as “aggressive” the land reclamation and construction […]
The Japanese government is now expanding its role in world stage as it forge a stronger bilateral defense cooperation and exchanges with Philippine though a established Strategic Partnership. Japan is also set to supply Philippines and Vietnam with patrol boats. Last January 29, Philippines’ and Japan’s defense secretaries signed “Memorandum on Defense Cooperation and Exchanges […]
During a visit to New Delhi earlier this month, Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, exhorted India to increase its presence in the South China Sea where China is literally creating new geography by enlarging reefs into artificial islands. He called China’s massive land reclamation “provocative” because it effectively changes “facts on […]
A conference on the international law perspective on the East Sea came under the spotlight in an article carried by the Belgian Euro Press Image (EPI) portal on March 11. Professor Erik Franck, a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) chaired the conference in Brussels, which brought together over 100 scholars, lawyers, researchers […]
MANILA, Philippines — China has created new artificial islets in two more reefs in the disputed South China Sea, which the Philippine military fears is meant to choke off its access to Ayungin shoal, where a crumbling Philippine Navy ship is beached. In an interview, former Air Force officer Rep. Francisco Acedillo, now partylist representative […]
A recent U.S. suggestion for Japanese patrols in the South China Sea has elicited a sharp rebuttal by the Chinese government and reignited Chinese media discussion of a South China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). An ADIZ would require all air traffic to obtain China’s permission before flying over the South China Sea, or […]
China calls restricted flying area over whole South China Sea, giving them the right to take down any unknown planes. A late U.S. proposal for Japanese patrols in the South China Sea has inspired a sharp answer by the Chinese government and reignited Chinese media talk of a South China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). An ADIZ would oblige all […]