A Japanese surveillance plane flew over disputed waters in the South China Sea on Tuesday, as part of joint drills with the Philippines. As The Diplomat reported previously, the Philippines is holding separate drills with the United States and Japan this week, with both exercises held near the South China Sea. The Japan-Philippine drill, only […]
On June 18, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel offered a press preview of the U.S.-China Strategic & Economic Dialogue (S&ED) now taking place in Washington, D.C. During the briefing Russel fielded a question about U.S. efforts to reduce tensions with China in the South China Sea. His […]
On June 18, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel offered a press preview of the U.S.-China Strategic & Economic Dialogue (S&ED) now taking place in Washington, D.C. During the briefing Russel fielded a question about U.S. efforts to reduce tensions with China in the South China Sea. His […]
U.S. officials have recently called on South Korea to play a role in the South China Sea, and for good reason. As a middle power South Korea has an interest, opportunity, and obligation to help keep its neighborhood stable, and that means opposing coercive approaches to regional disputes wherever they arise, especially in the South […]
Satellite images showing the extent of land reclamation of China and Vietnam in South China Sea have sparked debates about who the biggest aggressor is and what the status quo is (see: “Who Is the Biggest Aggressor in the South China Sea?,” “Who Is the Biggest Aggressor in the South China Sea? (A Rejoinder),” and […]
Until about a month ago, the perpetual and sometimes dangerous territorial disputes over islands in the South China Sea had been relatively quiet. But that calm has been interrupted as Beijing and its neighbours to the south, specifically Vietnam and the Philippines, are now feuding openly over two separate groups of islands — known in […]
Beijing: For months, China’s visible construction of artificial islands and military facilities in the South China Sea has alarmed US officials and many of China’s neighbours. What is happening under the water is also worrisome, several defence and security analysts say. China has a growing fleet of nuclear submarines armed with ballistic missiles. The expansion […]
June 23 (Reuters) – Both of these statements are true: 1) China possesses a rapidly improving military that, in certain local or regional engagements, could match – and even defeat – U.S. forces in battle. 2) In military terms, China is a paper dragon that, despite its apparent strength, is powerless to intervene in […]
In late 2013, Beijing started taking a very different approach to sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea — although few outside China noticed the change. Instead of directly confronting the other regional claimant states, Beijing began the rapid consolidation of, and construction on, the maritime features already under its control. And it did so […]
China is aggressively laying claim to most of the South China Sea. What’s at stake? Here’s everything you need to know: What is China claiming? China has issued an audacious map claiming as its territory practically the entire South China Sea and all its islands. The delineated area reaches hundreds of miles from the Chinese […]