The United States Pacific Command has stationed more than 1,200 special forces troops in the Asia-Pacific along with the latest advancements in weapons technology to contain China’s rising presence in the region, reports the Beijing-based Sina Military Network. The article points to comments made by the US defense secretary, Ashton Carter, during his recent 10-day […]
China’s foreign ministry suddenly announced this week that it is suspending land reclamation efforts on islands and reefs in the disputed South China Sea. The official media line on the suspension is that it is because the projects are “complete,” however other media outlets have framed the decision as a compromise reached between Beijing and […]
This week, the Institute for Economics and Peace published its annual Global Peace Index. This year’s index highlighted that escalating civil strife and the consequent refugee crisis have been among the key drivers in increasing the cost of containing global violence. The intensity of armed conflict increased dramatically, with the number of people killed in conflicts […]
As the Chinese military races to build outposts on reclaimed land, nearby countries are alarmed by the territorial expansion. Now, tensions between China, its neighbors and the U.S. over disputed waters in the South China Sea are growing, reports CBS News correspondent Seth Doane. The sandy beaches at the Philippines’ Pag-Asa Island are on the […]
The military will be conducting more surveillance in the West Philippine Sea following China’s pronouncement that it would be building more structures on the artificial islands in the contested area. Asked if the military was alarmed that China had continued its reclamation efforts in the disputed territory, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Gregorio […]
The U.S. finds China’s efforts to build military facilities on reclaimed South China Sea islands “troubling” and plans to raise the issue during annual talks in Washington this month, a top State Department official said. Daniel Russel, assistant U.S. secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, was responding to a Chinese statement Tuesday, […]
Satellite imagery from June 5, 2015 shows China has expanded its land fill of Subi Reef by 74 percent in less than two months, adding an average of eight acres of surface per day on that reef alone. Mischief Reef, larger than Subi, is now more than half filled in, according to a June 9, […]
“China has effectively put up its own Great Wall of the Sea.” China’s statement on Tuesday that it would soon start building infrastructure on its artificial islands in the South China Sea drew condemnation from the Philippines, Japan and the United States on Wednesday. Manila said it was considering asking the United Nations arbitral tribunal […]
“[I]f the United States insists on publicly denying and routinely penetrating the 12-nm lines, China simply cannot bear the costs of inaction.” U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter recently proposed more-assertive military options for the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea (SCS). The new policy would dispatch U.S. naval ships to within 12 nautical miles […]
WASHINGTON — The United States is troubled by China’s plans to keep building on artificial islands in the South China Sea, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia said Thursday. Assistant Secretary of State Danny Russel told journalists that the prospect of China militarizing those maritime outposts runs counter to the goal of reducing regional […]