The speed, maneuverability and shallow draft of the Navy’sLittoral Combat Ship makes the platform well suited for the South China Sea, Pentagon leaders said while releasing a new Asia-Pacific maritime strategy document. “The LCS is ideally suited for a role in the South China Sea. It is fast, light and flexible and it has a […]
The South China Sea has been a shipping thoroughfare for at least the past two millennia. Apart from piracy and occasional acts of war, ships of all types and origins have been free to sail wherever they wished. Freedom of navigation through the South China Sea could now be at risk. Six countries lay claim […]
This month, 70 years ago, the United States of America detonated nuclear weapons in two Japanese cities—Hiroshima and Nagasaki—and the Second World War came to an end. On August 15, 1945, the Japanese Emperor announced the cessation of hostilities and a few days later, on September 2, Japan signed the formal surrender document. In the […]
Over the weekend, the world observed the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in the Pacific theater. Thoughtful analysts have explored how the war and postwar settlement continue to shape historical memory in East Asia. Over at the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, we have a collection of maps that explain Asia […]
THE United States reiterated its call for a peaceful resolution of the South China Sea dispute following China’s release of military recruitment video that seemed to warn other nations. “I think what will promote stability in the region are legal and peaceful means to settle disputes and the US feels very strongly about that and […]
Despite all denials coming from the Chinese officials in recent months, China is reportedly planning to build gigantic floating islands in the disputed South China Sea. This unchecked ambition of Chinese leaders will surely tip this already heated-up Asian sub-region into what experts called “land-grabbing tussle”, a situation that might be escalated into civil wars […]
Taipei, Aug. 16 (CNA) Taiwan is building a lighthouse on Taiping Island (also known as Itu Aba) which will be completed by the end of September, the Maritime and Port Bureau said on Aug. 7. Reaching 13.7m above sea level, the lighthouse will have a range of 10 nautical miles. It will also be automated […]
Former Vietnamese and incumbent Philippine officials have said that China is likely to establish an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the South China Sea, reports Duowei News, a news outlet run by overseas Chinese. Chinese officials refuted the claim and reasserted China’s claims to the region, according to the website. China’s land reclamation activities […]
SUBIC, Philippines — The Philippines will go ahead with a plan to open military camps at Subic Bay facing the disputed South China Sea even if a proposed American military presence doesn’t happen, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Friday. Gazmin unveiled plans two years ago to open air force and navy camps at the Subic […]
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of National Defense questioned China’s announced intention to build facilities on artificial islands it has built in disputed territories in the South China Sea. “For whom are those search-and-rescue facilities?” DND spokesman Peter Paul Galvez asked as he wondered if these were “for our ships and installations that they are […]