Tag Archives: Artificial Islands

Vietnam’s Coast Guard Gets a Boost With New Patrol Vessel

On 27 July, local media outlets reported that the Vietnamese Coast Guard had inducted a new patrol vessel into one of its commands. The new boat, numbered CSB 4035, is the fifth of the Vietnamese-built TT400-class vessels in the fleet and was inducted into the service’s Zone 4 command. The vessel was delivered by local […]

China, Southeast Asia to set up hotline for South China Sea issues

KUALA LUMPUR – China and Southeast Asian nations have agreed to set up a foreign ministers’ hotline to tackle emergencies in the disputed South China Sea, a senior official of the ASEAN grouping said Friday. China claims most of the potentially energy-rich sea, through which $5 trillion (¥619 trillion) in ship-borne trade passes every year, […]

To know what is ours

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has once again sounded the alarm on China’s continuing activities in the West Philippine Sea. China, he said, is not just building artificial islands at seven reefs that are all within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone as defined and recognized by the United Nations Convention on the Law […]

China’s South China Sea claims are not supported by its own historical records

Is China starting down a path similar to that followed by Japan and Germany before 1945, when nationalism backed by new economic clout led to overconfidence and adventures which eventually proved disastrous? The question needs asking in the context of China’s latest moves ultimately aimed at making the South China Sea into a Chinese lake. […]

China Is Building a New South China Sea Fleet for its Maritime Militia

China is building a new South China Sea fishing fleet for its maritime militia in a move that could intensify regional disputes, an expert told a conference at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) Wednesday. China’s maritime militia – one of the more understudied agencies in the exercise of Chinese maritime power – typically uses […]

AFP is still verifying floaters found off Zambales’ waters — Palace

MANILA, Philippines – Malacanang on Thursday said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is still verifying the floaters reportedly found off Zambales’ waters near the West Philippine Sea. Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the AFP is also confirming the statement of Justice Antonio Carpio that China is actually dredging […]

Vietnam Is Pissed that China is Blowing Up the South China Sea

China has found itself involved in another dustup in the South China Sea, as their current amphibious assault rehearsals and live-fire maritime exercises in the region have drawn Vietnam’s ire. Vietnamese authorities, believing that China’s presence in those waters violates their sovereignty, issued a statement demanding that the exercise be halted. On Tuesday, after Vietnam […]

China Developing Maritime Aviation Capabilities

Several developments in recent weeks point towards China’s efforts to expand the seaborne aviation capability of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The PLAN is seeking to procure amphibious assault ships with significant aviation capability, are finishing construction on the world’s largest aircraft carrier dock, while speculation is mounting over a possible new aircraft carrier […]

Vietnam Is Pissed that China is Blowing Up the South China Sea

China has found itself involved in another dustup in the South China Sea, as their current amphibious assault rehearsals and live-fire maritime exercises in the region have drawn Vietnam’s ire. Vietnamese authorities, believing that China’s presence in those waters violates their sovereignty, issued a statement demanding that the exercise be halted. On Tuesday, after Vietnam […]

A First: China Turns Back Commercial Flight For Violating East China Sea ADIZ Rules

In late-2013, Asia-Pacific security watchers wrangled with what China’s then newly declared unilateral air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea would mean in practice for civil aviation in the region. Two powerful status quo states – the United States and Japan – immediately refused to recognize the ADIZ and reacted accordingly: The United States flew unarmed bombers […]