Tag Archives: China

Philippines making waves over China’s moves in disputed waters

China’s moves to explore for oil and undertake land reclamation projects on contested islets in the South China Sea have upset a number of its neighbors, including Vietnam. But none has taken a tougher stance against Beijing’s moves than the Philippines. The archipelago has shaped up as the loudest voice in Southeast Asia against China’s […]

China’s Unsolved Territorial Disputes: Implications For Its Relations With Neighbors – Analysis

China’s unresolved land and maritime border disputes with its neighbors continue to be a negative factor in bilateral relations among them; undeniably they also complicate the regional situation. What are the root causes of China’s territorial positions? Why certain disputes remain unsettled? Can such situation lead to future conflicts? Has China begun to work towards […]

China is taking the Pacific, one fake island at a time

The Obama administration has been very busy dealing with nuclear negotiations with Iran, a war against the Islamic State, a new conflict in Yemen and the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Yet the understandable focus on these other crises has obscured China’s efforts to speed up its militarization of the South China Sea. Now, Chinese […]

China’s ‘Great Wall of Sand’ Raises U.S. Concerns

CANBERRA, Australia—Unprecedented land reclamation by China in contested islands of the South China Sea is raising serious questions over whether Beijing intends confrontation or cooperation with other regional powers, America’s top Pacific Commander Said. Read more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-to-move-stealth-destroyers-to-pacific-region-1427784315

China’s Air Force Conducts First Training Exercise in West Pacific

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force has conducted its first training exercise above the western Pacific Ocean on Monday, the country’s Defence Ministry said, in a move that could heighten tensions with neighboring countries in the South China Sea. PLA Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke told Reuters on Monday that PLA aircraft flew to […]

China wants to control South China Sea: Philippines

MANILA – The Philippines accused China on Thursday of seeking to take control of nearly the entire South China Sea with an expansionist agenda dominated by “massive reclamation” works. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said China’s efforts were aimed at undermining a United Nations tribunal that is due to rule early next year on […]

Does ASEAN Have a South China Sea Position?

On March 25, Xinhua reported that Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen had reiterated that the South China Sea dispute is an issue between claimant states and China, not between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China. “It is not the issue of the whole of ASEAN, but the issue between claimant countries and […]

Chinese South China Sea Reclamation Projects Hamper Philippines, Others’ Claims

MANILA— China is forging ahead with reclamation projects on at least seven tiny but hotly contested features in the South China Sea, posing what could be a major challenge in the Philippines’ international arbitration case against China. Surveys of the disputed outcroppings will be key. Since the beginning of the year, various satellite images of […]

China looks to up ‘soft control’ of Myanmar: report

China must increase its “soft control” of Myanmar to fulfill its dream of building a new Pacific Fleet and an Indian Ocean Fleet, according to a commentary from the Beijing-based Sina Military. According to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, the 14th Army Corps of the People’s Liberation Army recently began a large-scale military exercise in the […]

Checkmate: PH has lost West PH Sea to China, analysts say

MANILA – It’s a checkmate. The Philippines has lost the West Philippine Sea to China, according to analysts. In light of recent intelligence photographs that show massive and extensive construction and reclamation activities by China in the West Philippine Sea, Congressman Ashley Acedillo and military historian Jose Custodio both believe that it is a veritable […]