MANILA, Philippines — Many of the Chinese fishing vessels around the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in the Spratlys archipelago are manned by militia and soldiers disguised as fishermen, a defense department insider said yesterday. “We know for a fact that PLAN has been sending and funding their maritime militia aboard dozens upon dozens of civilian […]

During his first official address of the new year to the nation’s military forces, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday ordered the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the country’s armed forces, to prepare for battle. “All military units must correctly understand major national security and development trends, and strengthen their sense of unexpected hardship, crisis and […]

Fresh from celebrating four decades since the downfall of the former Khmer Rouge rulers, Cambodia welcomed several Chinese warships. Just days after last week’s anniversary, the vessels docked in the resort city of Sihanoukville, reviving concerns about the implications of close military ties between the two countries and the possibility China is planning a naval […]

IN A DESPERATE bid to reduce tensions between the US and China over the South China Sea spiralling out of control a top US Navy Chief has been sent to hold talks with Beijing. Sail-throughs by the US Navy in the hotly sought-after South China Sea have forced a top US Navy Commander to meet […]

Growing defense budgets have underwritten a sizable arms buildup in Southeast Asia since around the turn of the century. Regional navies have particularly benefited from increased military expenditures, and as a result, many Southeast Asian navies are in the process of transforming themselves from modest forces oriented mainly toward coastal defense to modern fleets capable […]

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 11) — A U.S.-based think tank has its doubts on the increased number of Chinese vessels in the South China Sea, and whether or not those vessels were actually fishing. A report posted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) analyzed satellite images of contested areas in the […]

Kim Jong-un must be pleased with how US-China trade and other disputes disrupt North Korea’s denuclearization STANFORD, CALIFORNIA: US-China rivalry – including a trade war and tensions over Taiwan and South China Sea – is escalating. In October 2018, US Vice President Mike Pence even insinuated that a new Cold War may be underway. Kim […]

MANILA, Philippines — A former Philippine Navy chief has sounded the alarm over the security and strategic implications on the prospect of a Chinese takeover of a commercial shipyard in Subic. His statements came after two Chinese firms have reportedly expressed interest to invest on the local unit of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Corp., […]

The US has deployed stealth B-2 Spirit bombers to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for training in the Pacific, Pacific Air Forces revealed Friday. Coming at a time of heightened tension between the US and China, the deployment is intended to notify allies and adversaries alike that these nuclear-capable bombers are “on watch 24 hours a day, […]

Moscow on Friday condemned British plans for military bases in South East Asia and the Caribbean, and warned of retaliation if Russian interests or those of its allies were threatened. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson told The Telegraph in an interview before the New Year that the UK would ramp up its military presence abroad after […]