Tag Archives: China

Advance of the ‘Great Wall of Sand’: New aerial photographs show incredible scale of construction on man-made islands in disputed area of South China

The Philippine army has released new photographs of Chinese construction work in disputed waters in the South China Sea as it launched giant war games with the United States involving 11,500 personnel that were partly aimed at warning China. The Philippines voiced alarm about Chinese ‘aggressiveness’ in the area as it launched the Balikatan 2015 […]

China takes steps to control South China Sea

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 […]

Taiwan formula may settle sea dispute

TAIPEI: A Taiwanese official has called for a peaceful settlement of maritime disputes in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). Joseph S.C. Hua, director-general of Taiwan’s Department of Cultural and Educational Affairs at the Mainland Affairs Council, on Wednesday said Taiwan’s peaceful approach to resolving maritime disputes with Japan and the Philippines “can be […]

Fewer Chinese back military action over South China Sea

MANILA, Philippines — There is significantly more support for a compromise and third-party arbitration to settle long-standing disputes over the East and South China Seas among urban Chinese residents, a recent survey indicated. In a study released by Pert USAsia Centre, researcher Andrew Chubb surveyed 1,413 adult residents of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Changsha and Chengdu. […]

‘Stronger global action sought on China moves’

MANILA – Stronger international action is needed to counter China’s rapid reclamation activities in the West Philippine Sea, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday. Belmonte noted that statements of condemnation from global powers on the continued encroachment of China in the disputed waters have been ineffectual. “The whole world is unable, unwilling or afraid to […]

China opposes PH seeking ASEAN unity vs reclamation

BEIJING, China – China on Monday said it opposed the Philippines seeking Southeast Asian unity to denounce its reclamation in the South China Sea, and hoped Washington and Manila, who have been conducting a military exercise in the disputed waters, do more to benefit regional peace and stability. Earlier on Monday, an official said Philippine […]

A Big Deal: China Reveals Its South China Sea Strategy

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 […]

Why China’s island building is so foreboding

Over the past six months, China has gotten a little bit bigger. China’s expansion, which has amounted to less than two square miles of new land, is making waves not for how big it is, but where it is. Chinese engineers, with the help of barges and dredging machines, have been enlarging tiny reefs, sand […]

ARCHEOLOGY AND PATRIOTISM: LONG TERM CHINESE STRATEGIES IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Abstract : Several authors writing about the Chinese claim to the Paracel Islands have dated the first official Chinese expedition to these islands to 1902. However, none of these writers have been able to show any records of this expedition taking place. In fact, Chinese records show that the expedition never happened. Instead, a secret […]

China ignores global outcry vs reclamation

MANILA, Philippines – Beijing shrugged off yesterday the expression of concern raised by the Group of Seven industrialized countries over threats to stability in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea, saying China’s activities in the region – including its massive reclamation – are “beyond reproach.” On Wednesday, G-7 foreign ministers issued a Declaration […]