Tag Archives: South China Sea Dispute

Asean airs concern on new China sea law

MANILA, Philippines – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has expressed concern over recent developments in the South China Sea, after China imposed a controversial new fisheries law requiring all foreign vessels to obtain approval from Chinese authorities before engaging in fishing or surveying activities. China earlier imposed an Air Defense Identification Zone over […]

China building second aircraft carrier – reports

(Reuters) – China is building its second aircraft carrier, which is expected to take six years, and the country aims to have at least four such ships, Chinese and Hong Kong media reports said on Sunday. After two decades of double-digit increases in the military budget, China’s admirals plan to develop a full blue-water navy […]

China-Japan disputes spill onto opinion pages

WASHINGTON — Escalating disputes between Japan and China are spilling onto newspaper opinion pages around the globe as the rivals try to sway attitudes abroad and placate nationalist fervor at home. Japan’s ambassador to the US, in the latest salvo, accused China of a propaganda campaign that portrays Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as glorifying Japan’s […]

China steps up appeal to West in Japan propaganda battle

Reuters says in its report today that China is stepping up its propaganda against Japan in the West. The following is the full text of its report: China took reporters on Thursday on an unusual trip to a camp which housed Western prisoners of the Japanese in World War Two, a further sign of Beijing […]

Philippine Navy Adds to Regional Arms Build-Up

The Philippine navy hopes to add two more warships to its fleet as Southeast Asian countries continue to expand their militaries in response to the Chinese government’s increasingly assertive territorial ambitions in the South China Sea, also known as the West Philippine Sea. Armed forces chief of staff General Emmanuel Bautista said the new acquisitions […]

Japan brushes off China ‘troublemaker’ criticism

apan on Thursday brushed off a bristling attack in which a Chinese diplomat branded Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a “troublemaker”, saying Beijing’s sentiment is inaccurate and ignores the facts. The rebuttal came after China’s envoy to the African Union fired the latest salvo in an increasingly bitter war of words between Asia’s two largest economies […]

U.S.-China Relations and the Western Pacific

The middle of 2013 brought the possibility of a reset in U.S.-China relations, as new Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke of his desire for a “new kind of great power relations” as he enjoyed relaxed, heart-to-heart talks with U.S. President Barack Obama at a California resort. The year ended, however, with further evidence that strategic […]

US Congress Takes Hard-Line Stance on China’s Maritime Disputes

On Tuesday, the United States House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee and the House Foreign Affairs Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee held a hearing on China’s maritime disputes in the South and East China Sea. The hearing, according to a description posted on Rep. Randy Forbes’ website, was an “opportunity to assess how recent […]

Philippines Says Will Defy China Fishing Rules

MANILA — The Philippines will defy new Chinese fishing rules in disputed areas of the South China Sea and the navy will escort fishing boats to protect them if necessary, the defense secretary said on Thursday. China imposed fishing restrictions from the beginning of year, requiring foreign fishing vessels to obtain approval before entering the […]

China’s New Fishing Regulations: An Act of State Piracy?

On November 29, 2013, six days after China’s Ministry of National Defense announced the establishment of an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea, Hainan province quietly issued new regulations on fishing in the South China Sea. These regulations were announced on December 3 and came into force on January 1, 2014. […]