News
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China’s Plan for Lawfare in the Maritime Domain
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Lawfare, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAChina will set up an “international maritime judicial center” to protect the country’s maritime rights and sovereignty claims, China’s top judge told the National People’s Congress on Sunday. Zhou Qiang, the chief justice of the Supreme People’s Court, made the comment while delivering the annual SPC work report. China’s Foreign Ministry clarified that the center […]
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The three tests powers must pass to avoid Asian tragedy
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAAsean, China and the US must reach agreement on rules, resource management and maritime operations in the South China Sea The three powers via for influence in our region – the US, Asean and China – are now entangled in the South China Sea territory disputes one way or another. Four Asean members have overlapping […]
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South China Sea Controversy: Japan’s Expanding Role With Aid To Philippines, Raises China’s Ire
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAU.S. Navy amphibious assault ships USS Bonhomme Richard, bottom, and USS Boxer, second from top, are underway with the Republic of Korea Navy Dokdo Amphibious Ready Group in the East Sea during exercise Ssang Yong 2016, March 8, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS/U.S. MARINE CORPS/CPL. DARIEN J. BJORNDAL The Chinese government criticized Japan’s growing role in the […]
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China able to project ‘substantial offensive power’ from Spratlys in months—US
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAWASHINGTON – China will be able to project “substantial offensive military power” from artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea’s disputed Spratly Islands within months, the director of U.S. national intelligence said. In a Feb. 23 letter to John McCain, chair of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, James Clapper said Chinese […]
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Beijing’s Blunder China’s aggression in the South China Sea actually created an opportunity for the U.S.
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAThe news that China deployed surface-to-air missiles and fighter jets to the disputed Paracel Islands is only the latest example of Beijing’s increasingly aggressive posture over its claims of sovereignty over the South China Sea. China’s island-building and subsequent militarization efforts are part of a broader strategy to reduce American influence in the region, but […]
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China gaining ‘substantial power’ in South China Sea
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAChina will be able to project “substantial offensive military power” from artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea’s disputed Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) within months, the director of US national intelligence said. In a Feb. 23 letter to US Seantor John McCain, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, US Director […]
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Court verdict looms in Philippines v China dispute in South China Sea
In the sleepy days between Christmas and New Year, an intrepid flotilla of young activists set out from Palawan Island in the Philippines for a tiny island in the Spratlys, to protest China’s activities in the South China Sea. A creative approach, but it was successful, in its way. The Philippines government, while it noted […]
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South China Sea Dispute Looms Over Philippine Elections
Candidates struggle to balance tough stance on sovereignty with desire to mend ties with China MANILA—China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea is putting Philippine presidential candidates in a tricky situation, as they struggle to balance tough talk on national sovereignty with a desire to improve ties and boost trade with their country’s powerful […]
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China expanding land area of another South China Sea islet
Taipei, March 7 (CNA) China is carrying out a landfill project to increase the size of Qilianyu in the Paracel (Xisha) Islands and then build a bridge linking it to the PRC-occupied Woody (Yongxing) Island, a Hong Kong media reported Monday. The Qilianyu sub-group of the Paracels is composed of North Island, Middle Island, South […]
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Taiwan sees increasing militarization in South China Sea
In rare public comment on territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Taiwan’s defense ministry warned on Wednesday that countries in the region were spending more on bolstering their military strength as tension in the area increased. Taiwan’s claim to the South China Sea reflects that of mainland China, with both staking their territorial assertions […]
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Document: DNI Clapper Assessment of Chinese Militarization, Reclamation in South China Sea
The following is an unclassified Feb. 23, 2016 letter from Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to Sen. John McCain answering questions on Chinese reclamation and militarization of its disputed holdings in the South China Sea. The Honorable John McCain Chairman Senate Committee on Armed Services Washington, DC 20510-6050 Feb. 23, 2016 Dear Chairman McCain: […]
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South China Sea Buildup Brings Beijing Closer to Realizing Control
HONG KONG — When the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis and four other American warships sailed into the South China Sea last week for what were described as routine exercises, the message was clear: The United States is the dominant military power in the region and plans to keep it that way. But numerous Chinese […]