U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has said efforts to revive the Indo-Pacific security grouping known as the Quad will help the Washington contain China’s rise. “We’ve reconvened ‘the Quad’ — the security talks between Japan, Australia, India and the United States that had been dormant for nine years,” Pompeo said in a speech […]

  MANILA – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte should allow the United Nations to investigate his war on drugs, and abandon a deadly campaign that has been failure and a dent on the country’s international image, its vice president said on Wednesday. The crackdown has overwhelmingly targeted the poor rather than big drugs networks, Leni Robredo […]

  The secretary of the US Navy said on Wednesday that for the US to meet the challenge of countering the threat of China, it would need to take a page from China’s playbook and employ an “all of government” approach. Additionally, Richard Spencer said, that approach required a larger reliance on US allies in […]

  In this photo provided by the Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, right, meets with Indian President Ram Nath Kovind during his state visit to Manila, Philippines, Friday, Oct. 18, 2019. TAIPEI – The Philippines has agreed to strengthen defense ties with India, an increasingly significant Western ally in Asia, as part […]

  Vietnamese President and Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong has called for restraint in the disputed South China Sea amid a tense months-long stand-off involving Chinese ships, state media reported on Tuesday. Mainland China claims almost all the energy-rich waters but neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. Tension escalated […]

  KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia needs to boost its naval capabilities to prepare for possible conflict in the South China Sea, its foreign minister said on Thursday, even as Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy pursues non-militarization of the disputed waterway. Tensions have escalated in recent weeks, especially after a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed near islands […]

  THE visiting commandant of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) is skeptical of China’s claim of a peaceful expansion, especially in the South China Sea where it has disputes with its neighbors, given its development of man-made islands and military fortresses, the goal of which is only to protect and advance its interests against […]

  Most observers usually look at the South China Sea disputes with pessimistic eyes. After capturing the attention of the world in 2009, when China for the first time officially introduced the nine-dash-line map, the conflicts in the region has continued to grow, tensions between the interested parties increasing. Furthering tensions, China ignored the judgment […]

  Even a minor naval incident between the US and China in the South China Sea could have “nightmarish” outcome because of a severe trust deficit between the two countries, military observers have warned. Analysts attending the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing also highlighted the risk that Taiwan could become another flashpoint between the two sides, […]

  Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe vowed at the Xiangshan security forum in Beijing on Monday that “the momentum of China’s reunification cannot be stopped by any individuals or forces.” Wei’s remarks included specific rebukes to pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong and Taiwan. “We will not relinquish a single inch of territory passed down […]