News
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China Opens Maritime Hub to Tighten Grip on South China Sea
China announced on January 29 that it has opened a maritime rescue facility on one of its artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, as the nation works to tighten its control over the strategic trade route. The rescue hub is on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands, which is also claimed by […]
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Thankful to China
Finally, a different tone is emerging from the Department of Foreign Affairs on China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea. On Saturday, Foreign Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin said the Philippines must protest China’s establishment of a maritime rescue center on the contested Kagitingan Reef in the Spratly Islands. Locsin, just recently the country’s ambassador […]
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Chinese fishing boat captain arrested in waters close to Japan
Incident happened as China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi was hosting Japanese envoy in Beijing A Chinese fishing boat captain has been arrested in waters close to Japan, according to state media in the island nation. Chen Wenting, 40, was detained by the Japanese coastguard on Saturday morning on suspicion of violating Japan’s fishing rights and […]
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Senior military official stresses enhancing maritime law enforcement force
BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) — Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, has stressed building a strong and modernized maritime law enforcement force. Xu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while extending his Spring Festival greetings to officers and soldiers at […]
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Trump tension with intel community worsens threats of Russia and China
This past week, United States intelligence officials testified to the Senate during the annual hearing on the global threat assessment. While the hearing revealed a number of concerning international developments pertaining to our American national security interests, none was more important than the demonstrated increase in cooperation between Russia and China. According to the National […]
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Philippines to protest China’s maritime rescue center in WPS
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will protest China’s establishment of a maritime rescue center at the Kagitingan or Fiery Cross Reef once it is verified, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said yesterday. Locsin agreed with Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio that the Philippines should contest China’s construction on the Philippine-claimed Kagitingan Reef. “I, however, […]
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‘Agree totally’: Locsin says gov’t should contest China facility on PH-claimed reef
Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said he agreed “totally” with a call to contest China’s construction efforts in the Kagitingan Reef in the West Philippine Sea. File/Malacañang Photo MANILA—Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Saturday said he agreed “totally” with a call to contest China’s construction efforts on the Kagitingan Reef in the West Philippine […]
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What’s Behind the Fears of China’s Takeover of a Philippines Shipyard?
The issue has raised broader questions about the security risks of Beijing’s involvement in certain industries overseas. In early January, news broke that a local subsidiary of South Korean shipbuilding giant Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC) had defaulted on loans from local banks. While the immediate focus on this was on the issues of […]
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China opposes US withdrawal from nuclear arms treaty with Russia, calls for negotiation
Beijing says pact is of ‘great significance … in enhancing international and regional peace’ and urges Washington and Moscow to ‘properly deal with disputes through constructive dialogue’ “As an important bilateral treaty in the fields of arms control and disarmament, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty is of great significance in easing relations between powers, in […]
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PH to protest China’s rescue hub in West Philippine Sea once verified – DFA
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 2) — The Philippines will protest China’s reported construction of a maritime rescue center in the West Philippine Sea once it is verified, the country’s top diplomat said Saturday. In a series of tweets, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. agreed with Senior Associate Justice […]
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Why a leaner, meaner PLA must be sensitive to worries about China’s military rise
Much of what needs to be said of the recent report on the People’s Liberation Army downsizing has been said. As part of the “transformational changes” undertaken so far, China’s army now accounts for less than 50 per cent of all PLA troops, with almost half of the non-combatant units made redundant and the officer […]
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What the Berlin Airlift Can Teach Us About the South China Sea
The U.S. failure to counter China’s “gray zone” tactics stems from a lack of will, not a lack of options. Although the Trump administration is taking an increasingly harder line vis-à-vis Beijing, there is little doubt that the United States has failed to counter Chinese expansion via salami-slicing in the South China Sea (SCS). Current […]