Tag Archives: Spratlys

China says changing position on sea dispute would shame ancestors

Changing position on China’s claims over the South China Sea would shame its ancestors, while not facing up to infringements of Chinese sovereignty there would shame its children, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday. China has become increasingly assertive in the South China Sea, building artificial islands in areas over which the Philippines and […]

China defends island building in South China Sea, says not seeking new world order

(Reuters) – China‘s foreign minister on Sunday defended his government’s controversial policy of reclamation on disputed isles in the South China Sea which has sparked regional concern, and said Beijing was not seeking to overturn the international order Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping tried to set Southeast Asian minds at ease over the country’s […]

Vietnam Protests China Construction on Disputed South China Sea Island

Vietnam is protesting about China’s move to expand construction on the disputed Spratly islands, which Vietnam calls Truong Sa, in the South China Sea. “Vietnam strongly protests and demands that China respect Vietnam’s sovereignty and immediately stop its illegal activities in the area of Truong Sa archipelago and that China strictly adhere to the Declaration […]

US voices concern over China’s ‘dramatic’ tactics in South China Sea

NEW DELHI: The US today expressed concern over China’s “provocative” and “dramatic” tactics in the South China Sea and said the American navy will shift 60 per cent of its maritime assets to the Pacific by 2020. However, it underlined that the “rebalance” to the Asia and Pacific was not aimed at China but for […]

PHL stops oil and gas drilling in Reed Bank, cites dispute with China

(Updated 4:47 p.m.) The Department of Energy (DOE) has suspended all drilling and exploration works in the West Philippine Sea, particularly in the area covered by Service Contract (SC) 72 in the Reed Bank, citing a force majeure as the site is the subject a territorial dispute between the Philippines and China. Philex Petroleum Corp., […]

China’s Menacing Sandcastles in the South China Sea

China didn’t open “Pandora’s Sandbox.” It isn’t the first claimant to transform reefs by padding them with sand. But China’s superior economic and military capacity enables it to outpace other claimants. It is rapidly building the greatest “sandcastles,” which support multiple military and paramilitary functions. Beijing views Spratly and Paracel Islands augmentation as justified in […]

China Rebuffs U.S. Request to Halt S. China Sea Island Work

China rejected an appeal from the Obama administration earlier this month to halt “destabilizing” construction on disputed islets in the South China Sea, according to U.S. officials. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel urged Chinese officials to halt rapidly expanding island construction over the past several years in the disputed Spratly Islands during a visit […]

U.S. flies surveillance plane over South China Sea

World Bulletin / News Desk The United States has begun flying its most advanced surveillance aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon, out of the Philippines for patrols over the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy said on Thursday, acknowledging the flights for the first time. The United States, the Philippines’ oldest and closest ally, has promised to […]

PLA carried out further test of JL-2 SLBM last month

The People’s Liberation Army Navy conducted another test flight of its JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile again last month, Bill Gertz, senior editor of the Washington Free Beacon writes in an article published Feb. 18. US military sources said that the JL-2 test was carried out on the same day North Korea tested its KN-11 submarine-launched […]

China expands South China Sea outposts to station ships, establish airfields

WASHINGTON –  China is expanding its outposts in the South China Sea to include stationing for ships and potential airfields as part of its “aggressive” effort to exert sovereignty, the U.S. intelligence chief said Thursday. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was speaking at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on worldwide threats. His comments […]