Last month, Thailand’s navy requested funding for a submarine program which, when finalized, will make it the region’s eighth submarine-equipped nation—joining Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, India, and Australia. The Philippines, Thailand, and Bangladesh, meanwhile, have all expressed interest in acquiring submarine fleets. As tensions in the South China Sea continue to escalate, this arms race […]
A U.S. combat ship used agreed codes for unplanned encounters when it met a Chinese vessel during a recent patrol of the contested South China Sea, according to the vice chief of naval operations. The USS Fort Worth met a Chinese military vessel near the disputed Spratly islands, Admiral Michelle Howard told reporters on Tuesday […]
Since China began reclaiming land in the South China Sea a few months ago using advanced dredging techniques, the Spratly Islands have become a test of wills between U.S. President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. As WSJ’s Andrew Browne writes, one tiny reef in particular has become a potential flashpoint for U.S.-China ties: […]
Instead of becoming more deeply entangled in the South China Sea quarrel, the United States needs to take a step back. It is one thing to make clear to Beijing that Washington will never countenance China transforming 80 percent of that area into Chinese territorial waters. It is quite another matter to implicitly back rival […]
In the past 12 months, China has provoked considerable attention with its reclamation activities in the South China Sea, particularly in the Spratlys where it controls seven maritime features. China’s history of salami-slicing presents a dilemma to regional countries as well as external powers with regional interests: do they escalate an incident each time China […]
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has been presenting nothing but facts to reveal China’s massive reclamation activities in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), and it is up to the global community to determine its implications on the security of the region, Malacañang stressed yesterday. China’s Foreign Ministry accused the Philippines of working together […]
MANILA, Philippines – Illegal fishing activities of the Chinese and Vietnamese in the West Philippine Sea have caused alarm with Filipino fishermen residing in the area. According to a report, the foreigners have been seen fishing near Pagasa Island which lies in the disputed waters. The Filipino fishermen would chase or warn illegal fishers away but […]
BEIJING (REUTERS) – The United States and China clashed over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea yesterday, as China’s foreign minister asserted its sovereignty to reclaim reefs saying its determination to protect its interests is “as hard as a rock”. After a private meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry, China’s Foreign […]
A U.S. Navy warship was closely trailed by Chinese navy vessels in the South China Sea during a rare patrol close to where China has been dredging sand to turn submerged reefs and shoals into islands it claims as sovereign territory, according to the Pentagon. China’s close surveillance this month of the Fort Worth, a […]
Amid intense international focus on China’s construction projects in disputed waters of the South China Sea, new images show Vietnam has also been engaging in land reclamation on two features in the area. DW examines. Surveillance imagery recently obtained by the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) shows that in recent years Vietnam has […]