Tag Archives: Artificial Islands

Pentagon chief defends Navy patrols near Chinese islands

Defense Secretary Ash Carter is defending the Navy’s patrol of the disputed South China Seas following questions from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) about the operation. Carter said the patrol was “conducted in full accordance with international law,” and was a “a normal and routine operation,” in a letter to the Senate Armed Services chairman first […]

S.China Sea tensions surge as China lands plane on artificial island

HONG KONG/BEIJING China’s first landing of a plane on one of its new island runways in the South China Sea shows Beijing’s facilities in the disputed region are being completed on schedule and military flights will inevitably follow, foreign officials and analysts said. China’s increasing military presence in the disputed sea could effectively lead to […]

China lands plane on South China Sea man-made island in major escalation

China has landed a civilian plane on the man-made island of Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands in a major escalation of tensions in the South China Sea. U.S. and Asian military analysts fear that eventually China will turn the 3,000 meter airstrip into a military facility and dictate movement of ships and planes […]

After runway test, China military flights are expected

HONG KONG/BEIJING—China’s first landing of a plane on one of its new island runways in the South China Sea shows Beijing’s facilities in the disputed region are being completed on schedule and military flights will inevitably follow, according to foreign officials and analysts. China’s increasing military presence in the disputed sea could effectively lead to […]

PH slams Chinese ‘escalation’

THE Philippines on Monday accused China of raising tensions again in the West Philippine Sea by conducting a test flight over a reef claimed by Manila. “We will file [a protest] in due course. Fiery Cross or Kagitingan Reef is part of our Kalayaan Island Group,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said. China defended its […]

Was Fiery Reef landing precursor to Chinese air defense zone in South China Sea?

HONG KONG/BEIJING — China’s first landing of a plane on one of its new island runways in the South China Sea shows Beijing’s facilities in the disputed region are being completed on schedule and military flights will inevitably follow, foreign officials and analysts said. China’s increasing military presence in the disputed sea could effectively lead […]

China’s Non-Kinetic ‘Three Warfares’ Against America

Just as the pen can be mightier than the sword, China’s non-kinetic “Three Warfares” may prove to be far more effective at expanding China’s maritime and territorial boundaries than any arsenal of missiles or fleet of Chinese aircraft carriers. The Three Warfares were first officially recognized as an important warfighting capability by China’s Central Military […]

Document: SECDEF Carter Letter to McCain On South China Sea Freedom of Navigation Operation

The following is the Dec. 22, 2015 letter from Secretary of Defense Ash Carter to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) outlining the U.S. Oct., 27 2015 freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea. Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your November 9, 2015, letter regarding U.S. military operations in the South China Sea. As […]

Kalayaan protesters: We have lost Pag-asa Island to China

The group of youth volunteers who made a symbolic protest against Beijing’s claims in the West Philippine Sea on Monday claimed that the Philippines “has lost” the Pag-asa Island to China. In a statement, the group Kalayaan Atin Ito Movement said China’s actions on the Pag-asa Island, which is part of the Philippine-claimed Kalayaan chain, […]

Philippines follows Vietnam in opposing China’s runway test

MANILA–The Philippine government said on Jan. 4 that like Vietnam, it opposes China’s recent test of a newly completed runway on one of seven islands Beijing has constructed in the disputed South China Sea. Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said the government was considering protesting China’s action, as Vietnam did, adding that the […]