President Duterte’s spokesperson on Thursday said the Philippines “maybe should be thankful” for the “maritime rescue center” that China had launched on Philippine-claimed Kagitingan Reef in the South China Sea. The state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua announced the opening of the facility on Tuesday. Not bad? It said China also deployed another rescue ship to […]

Political tensions in the South China Sea are creating an environmental disaster. Can claimants put aside their differences and tackle environmental threats before fishing stocks collapse? The South China Sea is a potential flashpoint in regional politics. As claimants jostle for territory, beneath the turquoise waters the ominous threat of confrontation and instability bubbles. The […]

The Republican Congressman made the comments during a Tuesday committee hearing on security threats to the US. China claims ownership of the oil-rich South China Sea. This claim is contested by the US and several of the country’s neighbours. According to US military newspaper Navy Times Mr Inhofe commented: “It’s like China is preparing for […]

Richard Heydarian writes that the Philippines could ‘downgrade’ its long-standing association with the US if Washington remains unclear on its commitments in disputed waters “I announce my separation from the United States,” the tough-talking Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte declared during his first state visit to China. Two years later, the Philippines has formally called for […]

Chinese companies look to win control of a bankrupt but strategic shipyard at Subic Bay, the ex-site of US military bases and a potential key outpost on the South China Sea A sudden and unexpected bankruptcy has provided China with a unique opportunity to win control of a Philippine port facility at Subic, the former […]

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – On Tuesday, Jan. 29, the Japanese destroyer JS Ikazuchi (DD-107), arrived for a port call in Manila, marking what may be the beginning of increased cooperation between the two countries’ Navies. Japan and the Philippines are planning series of joint military exercises in the South China Sea in order to strengthen […]

Senator James Inhofe, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, has warned that Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea make it look like the Asian superpower is “preparing for World War III.” The Republican representing Oklahoma made the comments during a Tuesday hearing on foreign threats to the United States. Inhofe cited escalating tensions […]

WASHINGTON — China tested the world’s most powerful naval gun earlier this month, and it is expected to be ready for warfare by 2025, according to people with direct knowledge of a U.S. intelligence report. China’s railgun was first seen in 2011 and underwent testing in 2014, according to the people, who spoke to CNBC […]

The gun could strike targets in the South China Sea and beyond. The U.S. Army’s mysterious new super extended long range gun could sit on an island in the South China Sea and hit Chinese targets hundreds of miles away, smashing artificial islands made from dredged sentiment acting as Beijing’s military outposts. That’s according to […]

Washington has so far kept out the spat between its two closest allies in the Asia Pacific region. As the Seoul-Tokyo spat over Japanese warplanes’ flights over South Korean Navy ships continues, eyes have turned to the possible intervention of the US in the escalating dispute between its two core allies in Asia. While the […]