China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea can ‘make it impossible’ to settle the Philippines’ historic case against the Asian giant, a US-based analyst says MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines should work with Vietnam in “accurately surveying” the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea before China completes its artificial islands in the […]
A senior security official from the Philippines said on Monday that China’s development and reclamation of disputed reefs in the South China Sea is part of Beijing’s plan to set up an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the region, reports the website of the Manila-based Philippine Star. The official cited military research and sustained […]
The turbulent South China Sea (SCS) has emerged as a regional flashpoint, with sovereignty disputes over rocks and islands driving increasing tensions. Recently, a new twist to the saga has emerged, in the form of new artificial islands being created by China in an effort to bolster its sovereign claims. While the other claimants in the […]
Having missed out on the prime real estate, China is constructing its own What do you do when all the seats are taken? The Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and Malaysia control real islands in the South China Sea. “China came very late to this party and missed out on all the good real estate,” writes the […]
What, exactly, is China constructing in the disputed Spratly Islands, where heavy-duty construction, ocean dredging, and the possible foundation for an airstrip have been reported for months? The BBC took a shot this week after traveling through the disputed seas, reporting that China “seems to be preparing to build an air base with a concrete runway […]
China says its land reclamation work in the South China Sea is “totally justifiable” as it has “sovereignty” over the area. Its foreign affairs ministry spokesman Hua Chunying was responding to a BBC report which documented China’s construction work in disputed waters. The Philippines has accused China of illegal building in the area. China is […]
The BBC has published a multimedia report on the scramble for control over the South China Sea, with a particular focus on the clash between China and the Philippines. In the BBC report, entitled “China’s Island Factory,” reporter Rupert Wingfield-Hayes describes his journey on a Filipino fishing boat to visit “new islands” created by Chinese […]
“Millions of tonnes of rock and sand have been dredged up from the sea floor and pumped into the reef to form new land. There are cement-pumping trucks, cranes, large steel pipes, and the flash of welding torches.” These are the words of BBC journalist Rupert Wingfield-Hayes describing China’s construction activities at the Johnson South […]
New islands are being made in the disputed South China Sea by the might of the Chinese state. But a group of marooned Filipinos on a rusting wreck is trying to stand in the way. The boat pitches up and down and rolls from side to side in the heavy swell. The noise of the […]
The first half of 2014 witnessed a significant increase in aggressive behavior by China as it continues its maritime salami-slicing campaign in the South China Sea. Beijing seeks to change the status quo in the region in order to solidify its sovereignty claims over the disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands and their adjacent waters. In […]