Once they are completed, China plans to deploy its first two domestically built aircraft carriers to the southern island province of Hainan in anticipation of potential conflict over the disputed South China Sea, the nationalistic tabloid Global Times writes. Liu Huaqing, former commander and strategist of the PLA Navy, said as early as the 1980s […]
Beijing’s land reclamation in the South China Sea has prompted reports that the U.S. Navy will soon conduct freedom of navigation exercises in the area. If they pass within 12 nautical miles of China’s artificial islands, American vessels will directly challenge Beijing’s expansive maritime claims. Read more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/projecting-power-in-the-south-china-sea-1445533018
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se refuted allegations Wednesday that the United States has increased pressure on South Korea to clarify its stance on the territorial dispute in the South China Sea. Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama said in a joint press conference following summit talks with President Park Geun-hye that Washington expects Seoul to speak […]
The United States and China are hurtling toward a showdown over Freedom of Navigation in the the South China Sea. The U.S. Navy is poised to sail near seven artificial islands China constructed in the Spratly archipelago over the past two years as a means to challenge any excessive or illegitimate Chinese sovereignty claims there. […]
In May 2015, China began construction of lighthouses on two of the features it occupies in the Spratlys, Cuarteron Reef and Johnson South Reef. The lighthouses, employing cylindrical and cone-cylindrical designs, respectively, are 50-meter-high towers constructed of reinforced concrete that officially began operation on October 9. Each tower has been designed to cast its white […]
Aerial picture of Chinese ships building artificial islands in the South China Sea An aerial photo taken though a glass window of a Philippine military plane shows the alleged ongoing land reclamation by China on mischief reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, May 11, 2015. REUTERS/Ritchie B. […]
An aerial photo taken though a glass window of a Philippine military plane shows the alleged ongoing land reclamation by China on mischief reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, May 11, 2015. REUTERS/Ritchie B. Tongo/Pool SHANGHAI — China’s official news agency has warned that proposed U.S. naval […]
Last week, Vietnam protested China’s construction of two lighthouses on the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, saying the construction violates Vietnam’s sovereignty. In an email interview, Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, discussed Vietnam’s claims to the South China Sea. WPR: What […]
Former foreign minister Gareth Evans has suggested Australian warships be deployed to the South China Sea to protest against Beijing’s island-building activity in the contested waterway. Last week in high-level talks with the United States, Australia agreed to increase naval cooperation in the South China Sea, but is so far rejecting suggestions it could join […]
Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on Asean countries and China to maintain dialogue on the South China Sea. In a speech delivered in China on a recent visit, Hun Sen said the contentious issue, where several Asean countries are in disputes with China, should be solved under existing mechanisms between China and Asean, including […]