Tag Archives: Japan

China, U.S. head toward faceoff in South China Sea

WASHINGTON — The Chinese government gave a stern warning Wednesday that it will protect its sovereignty in the South China Sea after a cat-and-mouse pursuit of a U.S. warship by a Chinese frigate. “The Chinese side will take resolute measures to safeguard national sovereignty and safety. We will keep an eye on the situation in […]

Pushing Back Against a Chinese Lake in the South China Sea

China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea are prompting a soul-searching query from Hanoi to Washington: At what point does a sliced-up salami cease being a salami at all? In a short space of time, China’s unilateral and incremental efforts to carve out a greater presence in the South China Sea — by, for […]

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 […]

PLA’s DF-21D anti-ship missile can reach Philippines: US report

China’s DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile has extended the attack range of the People’s Liberation Army Navy all the way to the Philippines, according to the US Navy’s first unclassified assessment report of the Chinese navy in six years. In The PLA Navy: New Capabilities and Missions for the 21st Century, released April 10, America’s Office […]

U.S. defense chief warns against militarization of territorial rows in Asia

(Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter kicked off his first Asian tour on Wednesday with a stern warning against the militarization of territorial rows in a region where China is at odds with several nations in the East and South China Seas. Carter’s visit to Japan coincides with growing U.S. concern over China’s […]

Meet the Chinese Maritime Militia Waging a ‘People’s War at Sea’

When the Philippines announced last week that it was restarting construction in disputed areas of the South China Sea in response to China’s own construction binge, it entered a contest it has virtually no hope of winning. Satellite images released in February reveal that China has undertaken an unprecedented series of construction and land reclamation […]

Japan’s role in South China Sea getting bigger

The Japanese government is now expanding its role in world stage as it forge a stronger bilateral defense cooperation and exchanges with Philippine though a established Strategic Partnership. Japan is also set to supply Philippines and Vietnam with patrol boats. Last January 29, Philippines’ and Japan’s defense secretaries signed “Memorandum on Defense Cooperation and Exchanges […]

Japan flexing muscles in South China Sea disputes

Japan used to be aloof from the three-way chess game of conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea. Tokyo was pre-occupied with its own territorial dispute with China over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Daioyu in China. However, quietly encouraged by […]

East Sea issues draw attention from Belgian experts

A conference on the international law perspective on the East Sea came under the spotlight in an article carried by the Belgian Euro Press Image (EPI) portal on March 11. Professor Erik Franck, a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) chaired the conference in Brussels, which brought together over 100 scholars, lawyers, researchers […]

Japan Gets Involved In South China Sea Territorial Dispute: Tokyo Offers Maritime Support To Philippines, Vietnam

China and several Southeast Asian nations are currently embroiled in a territorial and maritime dispute in the South China Sea over an area that includes a cluster of resource-rich islands and important trade routes. As China’s presence in the area becomes harder to ignore, Japan has quietly begun forging security ties with Chinese geopolitical adversaries. […]