China’s recently revealed massive land reclamation activities in the South China Sea represent a particular threat to rival claimant Vietnam’s strategic position and interests. Factional competition ahead of next year’s Communist Party National Congress, where five-year plans, policies, and leadership positions are determined, has complicated Hanoi’s ability to devise a coherent and credible response to […]
The following is based on a translation of a report in Chinese media: The “On Military and War” column of news.ifeng.com published an article titled “Turning Mischief Reef into the Pearl Harbor of the South China Sea is of vital importance” on the advantages of the artificial island reclaimed there in serving as China’s forefront […]
WASHINGTON – U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter met a top Chinese general on Thursday and repeated a U.S. call for a halt to land reclamation in the South China Sea while stressing that the Pentagon remained committed to expanding military contacts with China. In the meeting with General Fan Changlong, a deputy head of China’s […]
In the latest episode of the saga involving territorial disputes in South China Sea (SCS), Malaysia will reportedly lodge a formal diplomatic protest with China over the presence of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel near Luconia Shoals, a series of islets and reefs well within Malaysia’s claimed 200-nm exclusive economic zone. The Malaysian Prime Minister, […]
Chinese naval soldiers stand guard on China’s first aircraft carrier Liaoning, as it travels towards a military base in Sanya, Hainan province, in this undated picture made available on November 30, 2013. Reuters Amid escalating tensions in Asia, China’s lone aircraft carrier conducted military exercises Friday along with fighter jets after setting sail from the […]
China and the United States had a heated exchange over the South China Sea issue originating from comments made at the Asia Security Summit or Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore from May 29-31, where the main topic since 2011 has been the maritime territorial dispute. The US defense secretary, Ash Carter, said during the forum that […]
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, right, and Vietnam’s Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh review the guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Hanoi, Vietnam, on June 1. The U.S., Russia, France, the U.K. and other countries are all jockeying to sell military equipment to Southeast Asian countries. Hoang Dinh Nam/Reuters/Landov […]
Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop has played down the prospect of conflict between China and the US over the South China Sea but warned Beijing not to declare an air defence zone (ADIZ) in the region. Speaking to the Lowy Institute in Sydney, the Foreign Minister expressed hope that China and the US would avoid conflict. […]
MANILA: — In just two years, China has poured billions of dollars into reclamation work and military structures on three reefs in the contested Spratlys, implying that it is there to stay. Recently it warned the United States not to attempt to stop the construction, or “there will be war”. China needs oil badly. Without […]
KRUEN, Germany – The leaders of the Group of Seven nations issued a communiqué on Monday voicing opposition to island-building and other coercive activities in the West Philippine Sea, South China Sea and East China Sea. “We strongly oppose the use of intimidation, coercion or force, as well as any unilateral actions that seek to […]