News
-
China and ASEAN members to hold first navy exercises in South China Sea
China and Southeast Asian states will hold their first joint maritime exercises next week, officials said Friday, in a move aimed at easing tensions but which may spark U.S. alarm. Beijing’s expansive claims to the South China Sea have long been a source of friction with rival claimants in Southeast Asia, as well as Washington […]
-
US and Chinese air forces urged to sign up to South China Sea guidelines after Asean states agree on code of conduct
Defence ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed a set of guidelines for warplanes flying over the disputed South China Sea, and will invite China and the US to sign up to the same code of conduct. Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced the agreement at the annual Asean defence ministers’ […]
-
Picking a fight: Is Trump’s hawkish behaviour towards China the start of a new cold war?
With Washington taking a new, profoundly aggressive tack in its dealings with Beijing, analysts speak of ‘active competition with occasional confrontation’ as the new normal Despite a glimmer of optimism sparked by the possibility of a meeting next month between Trump and Xi to resolve increasing tensions between the planet’s two largest economies, Sino-US relations […]
-
Mattis to meet Chinese counterpart amid US-China tensions
SINGAPORE (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis plans to meet on Thursday in Singapore with his Chinese counterpart amid escalating tensions over China’s purchase of Russian fighter planes and missiles as well as ongoing friction in the South China Sea. Shortly after Mattis arrived in Singapore on Wednesday after a visit to Vietnam, a […]
-
A US Navy ship stopped at a port in Taiwan, and China is not happy
A US Navy research vessel docked in Taiwan Monday, sparking concern in Beijing at a time of heightened tension between the US and China. The Thomas G. Thompson (T-AGOR-23), a research ship owned by the Office of Naval Research, arrived in Kaohsiung earlier this week to refuel and make crew changes, the Associated Press reported. […]
-
US flies B-52s near contested Islands amid China tensions
Two US B-52 bombers flew near contested islands in the South China Sea Tuesday, according to a statement from Pacific Air Forces. The two B-52H Stratofortress bombers, which are based in Guam, “participated in a routine training mission in the vicinity of the South China Sea,” the statement said, adding that the flight was part […]
-
South China Sea is Beijing’s top foreign policy priority with developing nations, US think tank says
While the United States and China are competitors on the world stage and appear to be working separately, the two powers that are currently locked in a trade war, may be able to collaborate outside Asia where they have fewer overlapping interests, the California-based Rand Corp said in a study of China’s policies with the […]
-
Japan Intensifying Pressure on China in the South China Sea
Japan’s navy has been taking part in military exercises in the South China Sea over the past two months. The exercises are evidence of increased Japanese activity in an area where Japan has long-term interests, including controlling China’s influence. In September, a Japanese submarine, helicopter carrier and two destroyer warships explored parts of the South […]
-
US Says Continued Militarisation Of South China Sea Highly Concerning
WASHINGTON: The US remains highly concerned with China’s continued militarisation in the disputed South China Sea and its “predatory economic behaviour”, Defense Secretary James Mattis has said. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South China Sea, and with Japan in the East China Sea. Both the areas are stated to be […]
-
Beijing warned to prepare for more US ‘provocations’ in South China Sea
Report by think tank affiliated with State Council also urges Chinese authorities to do more to win over Southeast Asian countries because it faces ‘long-term’ struggle to counter US influence China has been warned it must do more to lure neighbouring countries away from the US orbit, according to a report that predicted the US […]
-
China likely has a new bomber, tipping South China Sea
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) appears to have a new bomber in its ranks, and it could boost China’s military strength in disputed waterways. Satellite images of the PLANAF base at Guiping-Mengshu in Guangxi Province, China show what observers suspect are Xian H-6J bombers, new naval variants of the upgraded H-6Ks […]
-
China’s navy to join Thailand and Malaysia for training exercise as military seeks to build bridges with neighbours
Nine-day Peace and Friendship drill comes amid rising tension with US over the disputed South China Sea A joint naval exercise to be held this weekend between China, Malaysia and Thailand in the Strait of Malacca would follow US Defence Secretary James Mattis’s visits to Vietnam and Singapore, a trip which began on Monday. China […]