Beijing condemned on Wednesday a proposed U.S. military plan to send aircraft and Navy ships near disputed South China Sea islands to contest Chinese territorial claims over the area. “We are severely concerned about relevant remarks made by the American side. We believe the American side needs to make clarification on that,” said Foreign Ministry […]
WASHINGTON – China has reportedly warned the U.S. against sending U.S. Navy aircraft or ships to the South China Sea to contest territorial claims made by Beijing in disputed waters. The Wall Street Journal had reported late Tuesday that the Pentagon was considering flying surveillance aircraft and sending ships to within 12 nautical miles of […]
The Armed Forces of the Philippines has accused China of being “aggressive” in challenging a Philippine patrol aircraft in West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) early this week. “Nababahala rin tayo bakit icha-challenge tayo sa sarili nating teritoryo. Ito ay aggressive action dun sa part ng Chinese vessel (We’re worried why we are being challenged […]
MANILA – The Philippine military has accused China of committing an aggressive act for flashing powerful lights on a Philippine Navy plane that was on patrol at the disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea last Sunday. Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, Armed Forces of the Philippines Public Affairs Office chief, said the incident involved an […]
TOKYO — If China continues to grow economically and militarily, the possibility of armed conflict in Asia will grow as countries such as Japan and the U.S. step up their security efforts, says John J. Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. The American scholar and author said he came to […]
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 […]
A stunning series of photos released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C. offer a grim outlook for the region as Beijing ratchets-up its territorial assertions over the hotly disputed Spratly and Paracel islands. At least four major man-made structures have been erected on Itu, Gaven, Johnson South and Fiery […]
NAHA, Japan — Once a sleepy, sun-soaked backwater, this air base on the southern island of Okinawa has become the forefront of a dangerous test of wills between two of Asia’s largest powers, Japan and China. At least once every day, Japanese F-15 fighter jets roar down the runway, scrambling to intercept foreign aircraft, mostly […]
The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) is a highly capable navy, although it is the smallest of Japan’s military branches. It is technologically more advanced, more experienced, and more highly trained than its main competitor – the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Yet, in the long-run, the JMSDF and the Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) – Tokyo’s principle […]
MANILA— The Philippine Navy is upgrading its capabilities at a time of continuing tensions with China over disputed territory in the South China Sea. In recent weeks, an Indonesian naval shipbuilder started work on two “strategic sealift vessels” that the Philippines is acquiring for more than $87 million and expects within two years, said Commander […]